Above Golden Ao Island, tribulation clouds gathered!
Within the tribulation clouds were neither ordinary Purple Heaven Divine Thunder nor Nine Heavens Divine Punishment.
Instead, they were lightning imbued with Chaos Color!
Thread after thread contained the destructive Dao Rhyme from the dawn of World Creation, weaving into a net that blanketed the surroundings.
Hunyuan Lightning Tribulation!
To attain Hunyuan and Transcend Heavenly Dao, one must incur the heavens' envy and suffer lightning punishment!
This tribulation could neither be avoided nor escaped. It could only be faced head-on!
Xuandu's pupils contracted slightly.
Although he had just broken through to the Golden Immortal of the Origin, and his mana had undergone a qualitative transformation,
his means of combat were pitifully lacking.
Other than the Shangqing Gongfa, he had only cultivated the Shangqing Sword Art.
How was he supposed to face this Hunyuan Lightning Tribulation, which looked capable of destroying heaven and earth?
He possessed a treasure mountain, yet lacked a sharp weapon!
His gaze instantly turned toward That Green Clad Figure atop the platform.
Sect Leader Tongtian!
At that moment, Sect Leader Tongtian was looking at him as well.
Their eyes met.
Sect Leader Tongtian was first startled, then suddenly understood.
That was right!
This boy had entered the sect only a hundred years ago, and his actual cultivation time was even shorter.
He had never bestowed upon him a spiritual treasure for protection and battle!
During the Hundred Year Dao Lecture, he had actually forgotten this matter entirely!
The Hunyuan Lightning Tribulation was no trivial matter.
It was absolutely not something that a newly formed Hunyuan Dao Body and rudimentary Divine Abilities could withstand.
Even if he bestowed a spiritual treasure upon him now, Xuandu would have no time to refine it and would be unable to unleash even one-tenth of its power.
It would not help.
Sect Leader Tongtian's brow furrowed imperceptibly.
Was he supposed to watch helplessly as this Hunyuan disciple of limitless potential perished beneath the lightning tribulation?
The instant this thought arose, Sect Leader Tongtian's gaze became sharp.
He looked at Xuandu, then at his waist.
There hung a long sword still in its scabbard.
The scabbard was ancient and unadorned, faintly etched with Green Lotus patterns.
The Qingping Sword!
His Dao-attaining treasure, his supreme treasure of slaughter!
A trace of resolve flashed through Sect Leader Tongtian's eyes.
Since he had entered my sect, he was a Jie Sect Disciple.
How could I stand by and watch him die young?
Furthermore, this boy walked the Path of Hunyuan, the Path of Transcendence. It perfectly aligned with the True Meaning of the Interception Sect: Seize a Thread of Life!
Such a disciple was worth his protection!
Having made up his mind, Sect Leader Tongtian hesitated no longer.
Before the horrified eyes of countless disciples, and beneath Xuandu's expectant gaze,
he raised two fingers like a sword and made a light gesture toward his waist.
"Clang!"
A clear sword cry rang throughout the universe!
The Qingping Sword flew from its sheath!
There was no dazzling radiance, nor any pressure that swept across heaven and earth.
There was only a condensed azure Sword Light pushed to the absolute extreme!
The Sword Light was like autumn water, like a ribbon of silk, instantly crossing the void to hover above Xuandu's head.
The sword tip trembled slightly, pointed straight at the tribulation clouds in the heavens!
A supreme Sword Intent that stood above all things and severed all laws erupted with a crash!
"Buzz!"
The Sword Intent soared into the sky, forcibly tearing open a gap in the oppressive Hunyuan Lightning Tribulation that shrouded heaven and earth!
The tribulation clouds churned more violently, and Chaos Lightning roared. Clearly, it had been enraged by this Sword Intent that dared challenge it.
Sect Leader Tongtian's voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable power as it entered Xuandu's mind:
"This is the Qingping Sword. I shall lend it to you for now."
"Whether you can survive this tribulation depends on your own fortune."
Xuandu's entire body shook violently!
As he looked at the seemingly ordinary Qingping Sword above his head,
an indescribable surge of warmth and pride rose in his heart!
A Sage's sword was actually being lent to him to overcome his tribulation!
What trust! What protection!
"This disciple thanks Master!"
Xuandu took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and bowed deeply to Sect Leader Tongtian.
When he raised his head again, his eyes were filled with determination and resolve.
He no longer looked at the Qingping Sword above him. Instead, he immersed his entire mind into his own Primordial Dao Fruit.
He connected with his newly born Hunyuan Power, faintly resonating with the Vast Boundless Sword Intent of the Qingping Sword.
"Crack!!!"
The first Chaos Divine Thunder finally tore through the tribulation clouds and crashed down!
Wherever it passed, space collapsed and laws were annihilated!
The Destruction Aura made the Divine Souls of the countless disciples below feel as though they were about to shatter!
Xuandu's eyes narrowed as his thoughts stirred.
The Qingping Sword hovering above his head let out a pleased hum.
It did not even need Xuandu's mana to activate it. The moment it sensed the aura of that destructive lightning tribulation,
it transformed on its own into an azure streak and rose against the heavens!
There were no flashy techniques, no complex transformations.
There was only the purest, most ultimate slash!
"Ssh!"
The azure Sword Light and Chaos Lightning collided in midair!
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
Only a faint sound.
The Chaos Divine Thunder, capable of annihilating a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak, was split in two by the azure Sword Light and effortlessly severed!
The scattered lightning transformed into pure Chaos Energy Flow, becoming nourishment for his Hunyuan Dao Body!
The might of a single sword was actually this terrifying!
Before Biyou Palace, there was utter silence.
Countless disciples stood dumbfounded.
Daoist Duobao's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes full of shock.
As the chief disciple of the Interception Sect, he knew full well how terrifying his master's Qingping Sword was.
Yet he had never imagined that even without being personally wielded by his master, this sword would possess such heaven-destroying might!
Saint Mother Jinling, Saint Mother Wudang, and the others were equally shaken.
Zhao Gongming stroked his Golden Whip and muttered:
"Good heavens... so this is the Qingping Sword..."
The Three Goddesses of Xiao had brilliant light flashing in their beautiful eyes.
Five-Colored Radiance faintly appeared around Kong Xuan. As he looked at the Qingping Sword, deep wariness appeared in his eyes for the first time.
Chang Er Ding Guang Xian sprawled on the ground, his face bloodless.
Xuandu himself was also overwhelmed with emotion.
He had not directly controlled the Qingping Sword. He had merely resonated with it through his own Hunyuan Dao Rhyme.
Yet this sword had unleashed such a stunning strike on its own!
The might of a Sage was truly terrifying beyond measure!
The tribulation clouds seemed to have been thoroughly enraged.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Three Chaos Divine Thunders several times thicker than before crashed down in succession, carrying even more terrifying destructive Dao Rhyme!
Their power was so immense that they seemed ready to erase all of Golden Ao Island from the Great Wilderness!
The Qingping Sword hummed again, a misty azure glow flowing across its blade.
It still slashed out with a single stroke!
But this time, the Sword Light divided into three, becoming three beams that met the three bolts of lightning with incomparable precision!
"Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!"
Three soft sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
The three terrifying lightning pillars were once again effortlessly torn apart, turning into Chaos Energy Flow that Xuandu absorbed.
The Hunyuan aura around Xuandu's body solidified at a rate visible to the naked eye!
The Hunyuan Lightning Tribulation was both a calamity and an opportunity!
The tribulation clouds rolled, and lightning roared.
One after another, even thicker Chaos Divine Thunders carrying increasingly ancient Dao Rhyme struck down.
Five bolts! Seven bolts! Nine bolts!
The Qingping Sword hovered above Xuandu's head, utterly unmoving.
It always effortlessly severed those heaven-destroying bolts one by one!
No matter how violent or how ever-changing the tribulation lightning became, not a single bolt could pass beyond the Sword Light and harm Xuandu in the slightest!
Instead, all the scattered Chaos lightning energy became nourishment for Xuandu to consolidate his Hunyuan Dao Foundation.
He stood beneath the lightning, within Chaos.
His green robes fluttered wildly, his black hair dancing in the wind.
The Qingping Sword Light guarded above his head, while Hunyuan Dao Rhyme flowed around his body.
He resembled the Emperor of Thunder, the Master of Chaos!
His aura grew ever deeper, and his Primordial Dao Fruit ever more stable!
The Myriad Immortals below had long been stirred beyond control.
This was the power of a Sage's treasure!
This was the tribulation of a Golden Immortal of the Origin!
Finally.
After eighty-one Chaos Divine Thunders.
Above Golden Ao Island, the tribulation clouds gradually dispersed. Chaos Energy Flow swirled before slowly entering Xuandu's body.
His Primordial Dao Fruit was completely stabilized, his aura harmonious and free, transcendent and unbound.
He stood in the void, his green robes lightly stirring. Whenever his eyes opened and closed, Chaos seemed to be born and perish within them.
The Myriad Immortals below looked up at him, their eyes filled with reverence and their hearts unable to calm.
Daoist Duobao took a deep breath and slowly spoke four words:
"Golden Immortal of the Origin..."
His voice was dry, carrying indescribable shock.
Saint Mother Jinling, Saint Mother Wudang, and the others exchanged silent looks, each seeing stormy waves in the others' eyes.
Zhao Gongming stroked his Golden Whip and murmured:
"He truly succeeded... without walking the Path of Slaying the Corpse, without relying on an Innate Spiritual Treasure, he achieved Hunyuan on his own..."
The Three Goddesses of Xiao were deeply moved. Bi Xiao's beautiful eyes shone brightly, filled with admiration.
Five-Colored Radiance flowed around Kong Xuan as he looked at Xuandu. For the first time, his gaze carried true gravity, and even a trace of... wariness.
Chang Er Ding Guang Xian lay limp on the ground, his face bloodless, his Dao Heart on the verge of collapse.
Xuandu ignored the countless thoughts below. Turning around, he once more bowed deeply toward Sect Leader Tongtian on the cloud couch:
"This disciple, Xuandu, thanks Master again for lending me the sword and protecting my path!"
Without the Qingping Sword, he definitely would not have been able to survive the lightning tribulation.
Sect Leader Tongtian nodded slightly, his deep eyes holding undisguised approval.
Just then, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Hmm?"
Then he raised his eyes and looked into the depths of the boundless void.
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