Great Zhou Imperial Capital.
Amid a field of ruins, Bai Nian shoved aside the shattered rubble and dug Chu Zheng out. It took quite a while before he finally brought him back to his senses.
The instant he regained consciousness, Chu Zheng pulled up the Restoration Panel and completely mended his injuries, then sprang upright into a sitting position.
"Are you badly hurt?"
Seeing Chu Zheng covered in dust and grime, Bai Nian's eyes held some concern. If Chu Zheng died, he had no idea whether he could make it back to Phantom Spirit City on his own in this lifetime.
"Find somewhere to hide. I'll come look for you afterward."
Chu Zheng tossed out those words, shoved Bai Nian away, and rose to sprint wildly onward. The qi around him churned ceaselessly as he searched the Primordial Qi between heaven and earth.
Just now, he had caught an exceptionally distinct sense of rejection within the surrounding Primordial Qi.
The Primordial Qi that had once been exceedingly friendly toward him now faintly seemed estranged from him, as though Heaven and Earth had cast him aside.
Chu Zheng could vaguely sense that, from the moment he had encountered Ling Qi, the Tribulation Qi around him had been stirred. He was now caught in a great calamity belonging to Qi Cultivators.
This was a trial between life and death, signifying that he had truly crossed the threshold into becoming a Qi Cultivator.
After the Hundred Day Spiritual Transformation, Chu Zheng's cultivation journey had been smooth sailing all the way. He had never encountered any calamity whatsoever. Even the Song Family's disaster had not been aimed at him; he could withdraw at any time, handling it with ease.
The invisible Tribulation Qi had been accumulating all along, only to erupt today.
In ancient