The Fifth Level Betrothal Gift, the Tribulation-Avoiding Robe, Can Even Resist Divine Punishment Lightning Tribulations

The moment the golden light exploded, everyone in the square closed their eyes simultaneously.

It was not voluntary—the light was too intense, causing their irises to contract instinctively and their eyelids to snap shut on their own.

The Martial Soul Hall spirit masters in the front row of the square fell to their knees with a thud.

It was not out of fear, but because their knees could not withstand the auspicious power pouring down from the ceremonial garment—a power that possessed no aggression, yet was terrifyingly heavy, pressing down on their shoulders, their spines, and aching deep within their very bones.

Then came the Heavenly Sanskrit Sound.

A grand, celestial voice that transcended endless time and space, devoid of any mortal taint, crashed down from the center of the firmament.

"Fifth layer of the Record of Celestial Master Betrothal Gifts—Tribulation-Avoiding Garment!"

"In celebration of the Celestial Master's grand wedding!"

The lingering resonance of the final words refused to dissipate in the air.

The words "grand wedding" hammered into the ears of Hu Liena, and the tips of her ears instantly burned from pink to crimson.

The Heavenly Sanskrit Sound did not stop.

In the interval while everyone held their breath, the second part of the explanation followed closely.

"This is the innate ceremonial garment shed by the ancient auspicious beast, the Three-Legged Golden Toad; it can gather energy and bestow blessings, enhance one's own fortune, and ward off all calamities."

People in the square began to tremble.

Not from cold, and not from fear.

It was because those words were hammering into their minds one by one, and with each strike, their perception of reality was stretched further.

Gather energy and bestow blessings—enhance fortune—ward off all calamities.

All.

What kind of madman would dare use the word "all" in a betrothal gift?

The Heavenly Sanskrit Sound continued.

"Worn upon the body, it can isolate one from the intrusion of all worldly evil spirits, stabilize the mind, and protect the Dao heart from being lost."

Up to this point, most people in the square could still hold on. Protecting the heart and warding off evil were functions the previous Severing Thought Sword also possessed, so it felt consistent.

Then, the final sentence fell.

"Even the divine punishment of lightning tribulations can be resisted by three parts."

The square froze.

The sounds of the entire Martial Soul City were drained away in that instant.

There was no sound of breathing, no sound of fabric rustling; even the wind stopped.

Divine punishment.

Lightning tribulation.

Resist by three parts.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stood on the flank of the square, his legs going weak simultaneously, and with a "bang," he slammed one knee onto the ground.

Beside him, Ghost Douluo had completely collapsed—not kneeling, but sitting, his backside hitting the stone tiles, his legs stretched out, the muscles on his aged face twitching uncontrollably.

"Divine punishment..."

Ghost Douluo squeezed the two words out of his throat, the tail end of his voice dissipating.

He had lived for nearly two hundred years.

He had seen natural disasters, man-made catastrophes, and the earth-shattering battles between Title Douluo.

He had never seen something capable of withstanding divine punishment.

Because such a thing should not exist in the mortal realm.

On the outskirts of the square, the commoners of Martial Soul City crowded the street corners, craning their necks to look at the sky.

The teahouse owner's jaw dropped, unable to close, and it took his assistant two tries to snap it back into place.

The apprentice at the blacksmith shop held an unquenched iron billet, frozen in place. The billet slipped from his hands and slammed onto his foot with a "clang."

He did not react.

The storyteller in the south of the city bit his pen holder in half.

He was already compiling the Record of Celestial Master Betrothal Gifts and had polished the descriptions for the first four layers, but how was he supposed to write the fifth?

If he put the words "resist divine punishment" on the page, who would believe it?

But the Heavenly Sanskrit Sound had said it itself; did they dare not believe it?

The ceremonial garment continued to drift in the air. The auspicious energy on the Three-Legged Golden Toad patterns overflowed, growing thicker until it condensed into a pale golden mist above the square.

Wherever the mist swept, everyone's pain lessened by two parts—Chrysanthemum Douluo's old injuries stopped aching, Ghost Douluo's waist stopped hurting, and even the patrol guards on the outskirts, who had just finished the night shift and were yawning, felt invigorated.

Gather energy and bestow blessings.

Just by floating in the air without even touching the ground, it was already exerting its effect.

The Tribulation-Avoiding Garment hovered in the air for three breaths. Then, it moved.

The golden ceremonial robe tilted slowly, drifting toward a direction on the plaza.

Neither fast nor slow, the sleeves billowed in the windless air, trailing a long golden trajectory.

Hu Liena stood on the steps, head tilted upward.

The garment flew toward her.

Just like every betrothal gift before it—it required no reaching out, no welcoming, no ceremony of any kind.

It came on its own.

The Tribulation-Avoiding Garment paused for a moment at a distance of one arm's length from her.

The Three-Legged Golden Toad pattern faced her, and the copper coin in the toad's mouth rippled with circles of auspicious light.

Then—the garment moved.

Starting from the shoulders, the golden fabric clung to her shoulder lines, slid down her arms, wrapped around her waist, and the hem fell to her ankles.

The entire process involved no external force; the garment was dressing itself—it was acknowledging its master.

The moment every inch of fabric touched her skin, a warmth seeped in from the point of contact.

It was not the scorching heat of the Primordial Spirit Bead, not the icy chill of the Severing Thought Sword, nor the crisp coolness of the Star River Map.

It was warm, pure, and devoid of any invasiveness.

It warmed her from shoulders to fingertips, from waist to soles, finally converging at her chest, coming to rest right over her heart.

Hu Liena lowered her head.

The golden garment was impossibly thin—she could barely feel its weight, so light that she doubted for a moment if she was truly wearing it.

But looking down, the Three-Legged Golden Toad was perched on the front of her lapel, its back rising and falling, each breath sending a wave of stability.

Stability.

The word flickered in her mind.

It wasn't just peace of mind. Peace of mind meant "someone is here."

Stability meant "there is nothing to fear."

The Primordial Spirit Bead made her stronger, the Fate-Suppressing Cauldron weakened her opponents, the Severing Thought Sword gave her lethality, and the Star River Map doubled her cultivation speed.

Four betrothal gifts, four dimensions, all focused on "offense."

The fifth—the Tribulation-Avoiding Garment—was the first purely defensive one.

He was providing her with a safety net.

No matter how high the previous four gifts had pushed her, this fifth one said:

Even if one day you cannot hold on, this garment will shield you.

It could withstand even divine punishment.

What else could she not endure?

Hu Liena's five fox tails relaxed one by one, hanging behind her, the tips swaying gently.

The string on her shoulders that had been taut for seven days finally snapped, completely unburdened.

Her right hand pressed against the lapel, beneath her palm was the rising and falling back of the golden toad.

The touch was warm and smooth, carrying a thin layer of spiritual energy that merged with her body heat, making it impossible to tell where the garment ended and the person began.

Ye Lingling stood two steps behind her, clutching her sleeves, her knuckles white.

It wasn't nervousness. It was excitement.

Everything from the Celestial Master was good.

Every piece was better than the last.

This one—Ye Lingling stared at the golden hem trailing from Hu Liena's back, her nose stinging again.

The Celestial Master had even protected her life.

"Sister Ye?"

Hu Liena turned her head.

Ye Lingling blinked rapidly, forcing back the sheen of tears.

"No, it's nothing."

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile.

She smiled so hard that her cheekbones ached.

Bibi Dong walked down from the highest step.

Her nine soul rings were retracted.

Her crown robes looked dull under the reflection of the golden auspicious light, forming a jarring contrast with the radiant Tribulation-Avoiding Garment on Hu Liena.

She stopped in front of Hu Liena.

The two were three paces apart.

Bibi Dong's gaze swept from the collar of the robe to the hem, lingering on the Golden Toad pattern for two breaths.

The toad's back was still heaving, and with every breath, it overflowed with auspicious energy—that energy surged to within three feet of Bibi Dong before automatically dispersing.

It was not being repelled. It was simply that the Tribulation-Avoiding Garment recognized only one master, and any excess auspiciousness would not leak out to others.

Bibi Dong's right hand moved slightly.

She splayed her fingers, then closed them, tucking her hand back into her sleeve.

The dark marks left behind by the burns from the Dao Qi flashed between her fingers.

She had spent more than half her life cultivating.

She had crawled out from under the shadow of Qian Renxue, fought her way out of the schemes of Dugu Bo, and stepped her way up to the position of Pope through the power struggle between the Heaven Dou Empire and Martial Soul Hall. Every step had been bought with her life.

Now, she was only one final step away from becoming a god.

The inheritance of the Rakshasa God.

Yet, the inheritance of the Rakshasa God was rooted in slaughter; the further one progressed, the heavier the inner demons became, and the more numerous the tribulations.

It was not that she hadn't thought about it—what if she couldn't pass that final hurdle?

What if the heavenly tribulation struck down, and she couldn't withstand it?

Before, there had been no answer.

Now, the answer was hanging on her disciple.

"With this robe..." Bibi Dong began.

Hu Liena looked up at her.

Bibi Dong pressed her lips together.

The arc was extremely faint, so faint it could not be called a smile, but it had indeed curved.

"It is equivalent to an extra life."