Overcoming Tribulation, Gaining Fortune

Xiao Fan was completely unaware of the person who had suddenly appeared; the intense pain deep within his soul had seized every one of his senses.

Moreover, if this person did not wish to be seen, Xiao Fan would not be able to perceive them even if they were standing right before his eyes.

"Urgh!!!"

The drop of blood entered through the center of his brow and sank downward, as if his flesh, blood, tendons, and bones did not exist to it at all.

In just over ten seconds, the vibrant, faintly pulsing drop of blood reached Xiao Fan's dantian. A bright red radiance illuminated all directions, and a vast, abyssal will churned, the blinding red light extending endlessly as if to occupy every corner of his body.

Soon, his dantian, meridians, and even his bones seemed to be plated with a thin, eerie film of blood.

Only that profound and fragile foundation of the Dao floated unsteadily, its faint glimmer resisting the red light, preventing it from being tainted.

Above the foundation, a drop of blood, translucent like red jade, hovered silently, glowing as brightly as a wheel of fire.

But as Xiao Fan lost consciousness from the agony and slipped into a coma, the glimmer resisting the red light dimmed significantly.

The drop of blood hovering above the foundation seized the opportunity and plummeted!

Sss!

It was like a red-hot iron rod plunged into a snowbank; the faint glimmer was breached with ease, and the fire-wheel-bright blood drop struck the foundation without mercy.

Success!

A sense of joy emanated from the blood drop; the seizure of a human's foundation of creation would be completed this very day!

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out, as if something had shattered.

That sense of joy faltered, then turned into sheer terror and fury!

A massive, hideous crack had appeared across the profound foundation, as if it could not withstand the immense pressure and was about to break apart.

How could this be!

How could a foundation of creation be so fragile!

Crack, crack!

As the crisp sounds continued, dense, spiderweb-like cracks emerged, and the foundation seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

The red light grew more blinding and eerie; anger, unwillingness, and various other emotions filled the dantian, yet these emotions were cut short in the next instant.

It was a gaze.

A gaze that seemed woven from the Dao and the laws of nature looked down from a vast, distant, and lofty place, from the depths of the unknown.

In an instant, the red light ceased. Under this gaze, the vast, abyssal will felt like a flickering candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Outside.

The ordinary-looking figure with a gentle temperament withdrew his smile, stood up, and bowed solemnly.

"Brother Daoist, this is my own scheme, not an alien race seizing the fleshly foundation of our human race."

The voice was ethereal, as if it were traveling to a place beyond the reach of the known.

The will within the blood drop teetered on the brink of collapse under the pressure of that gaze, as if it were about to dissipate.

The next moment, perhaps because the words had taken effect, the gaze vanished.

The dying will within the blood drop trembled slightly, attempting to flee from the crumbling foundation, but it was already too late.

BOOM!

The shattering foundation released a terrifying shockwave. Had the blood drop been at its peak, it might have resisted, but now, it could not.

The final trace of will within the blood drop was annihilated in an instant by the impact of the foundation's collapse.

Xiao Fan's body also became shattered and broken under this destructive force.

His tendons were snapped, his bones fractured, and his internal organs were all severely damaged.

Though he was not yet dead, he was not far from it.

"The tribulation has passed; now comes the fortune," the figure standing beside Xiao Fan said softly.

He then pointed a finger, and a profound spiritual light sank into Xiao Fan's body. The blood film covering his meridians, bones, and dantian slowly receded, transforming into a vast and pure life force.

His body, which had been like a broken rag, began to recover rapidly under the influence of this life force.

His tendons and bones were reconnected, and his internal organs were fully restored.

"If not for that old ghost who was destined to die early, this matter might not have succeeded."

With that Brother Daoist protecting him, who in the Great Profound Realm would dare covet the human foundation of creation? It was truly ignorant.

"It is fortunate that he was ignorant," the gentle figure said, looking at Xiao Fan. "You have obtained a portion of that alien's heritage; you should be able to contend with the one favored by that Brother Daoist."

Amidst the swirling steam, Zhang Yun lay back with her eyes closed, letting the hot water wash over her.

The water slid over her delicate collarbones and continued downward.

She took a step forward, lowered her head, and opened her eyes. A faint purple aura flashed and vanished. Her fair, slender fingers curled into a void, as if she were sensing something.

The enemies encountered in the trials were growing stronger, which resulted in her "dying" quite a few times every single night.

However, not only was she not afraid, she even thoroughly enjoyed that feeling of dancing on the edge of a blade, hovering between life and death.

Sigh.

She let out a long sigh.

I have truly become abnormal.

Turning off the hot water, Zhang Yunlu walked barefoot to the side, where a full-length mirror stood.

She took a towel to wipe the steam from the mirror's surface, then stood before it, expressionlessly examining her own reflection.

The slight baby fat that had once rounded her face had now faded, leaving behind the last traces of her youth; her eyes were as clear as springs, yet carried a hint of coldness.

Her figure was tall and lean, without a single ounce of excess fat; bright droplets of water clung to her fair, delicate skin, and her arms, while appearing slender, possessed immense explosive power.

How long had it taken for her to become like this?

A few days?

When she tried to recall, all that flashed through her mind were scenes of her battling the sword cultivator phantom, and the sense of peace and fulfillment she felt while gripping a sword.

She understood that she could never return to who she was before.

Zhang Yunlu's lips curled upward: "Still, I do prefer the version of myself I am now."

"You won't even reply to Senior Sister's messages, yet you're still sending her cotton candy?"

Divine Mechanism Express, founded by the Immortal Sect—Divine Mechanism Artifact Refining Pavilion, was one of the most well-known courier companies in the Great Profound Realm, with a business scope covering the entire Central Continent and even parts of the Starry Sky Battlefield.

The only one capable of rivaling it was World Relief Express, founded by the Immortal Sect—World Relief Valley.

Alchemists and artifact refiners—a bunch of incredibly wealthy... glass cannons, Chi Jiuyu had once remarked.

She finished filling out the form, handed the light but massive box to the staff member, and then turned back to look at Xu Xing.

"One thing has nothing to do with the other; I am a very filial disciple!"

"Heh, I hope Senior Sister thinks the same."

"Aiya! Can't you just let me be happy for a little while, Martial Uncle?"

"Fine, I won't say anything else."

Having spent so much time with this abstract disciple of his Senior Sister, Xu Xing felt his own mindset had become a bit younger.

After sending off the package, the two of them walked outside.

"Are we continuing tonight?" Xu Xing asked.

"Of course!" Chi Jiuyu replied without hesitation.

That girl named Zhang Yunlu was "dying" every single night, and even she hadn't given up yet.

"Sooner or later, I will withstand the first sword... No! Sooner or later, I will withstand all three swords!"

"I might not necessarily accompany you out again tomorrow."

"I'm not that fragile."

She muttered under her breath, and after walking for a while, she suddenly tilted her head to look at Xu Xing.

When she first arrived, she had assumed that since her Martial Uncle had been in seclusion for so long, he would be a very rigid, narrow-minded ancient cultivator.

It turned out that wasn't the case at all.

"Martial Uncle, let me give you a ride back; it'll be faster."

"I refuse."

"Why? Wasn't it quite fun last time?"

"That was just your opinion."

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