The Fifth Betrothal Gift, the Tribulation-Avoiding Garment That Could Even Withstand Divine Punishment

The instant golden light exploded, everyone in the square shut their eyes at once.

It wasn't voluntary—the light was too intense. Their irises contracted instinctively, and their eyelids closed on their own.

The Spirit Hall Soul Masters at the very front of the square dropped to their knees with a thump.

It wasn't out of fear. Their knees simply couldn't bear the auspicious power pouring from the ceremonial garment. The power had no hint of aggression, yet it was terrifyingly heavy, pressing down on their shoulders and spines until their very bones ached.

Then the Sanskrit chant came.

Vast, spanning endless ages and space, and utterly free of worldly traces, the voice of Heaven and Earth crashed down from the center of the firmament.

"The fifth tier of the Celestial Master Betrothal Gifts—the Tribulation-Avoiding Garment!"

"In celebration of the Celestial Master Grand Wedding!"

The final words' lingering echoes hung in the air for a long time.

The words "Grand Wedding" struck Hu Liena's ears, and the tips of her ears blazed red, turning from pink to scarlet in an instant.

The chant did not stop.

As everyone held their breath, a second passage of explanation followed at once.

"This is an innate ceremonial garment shed by the ancient Auspicious Beast, the Three-Legged Golden Toad. It gathers qi and blessings, improves its wearer's fortune, and withstands all calamities."

People in the square began to tremble.

Not from cold. Not from fear.

Those words were pounding into their minds one by one, each one stretching the limits of what they could believe.

Gather qi and blessings—improve one's fortune—withstand all calamities.

All.

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

The chant continued.

"When worn, it can ward off all evil influences in the world, steady the mind, and protect the Dao heart from being lost."

By this point, most people in the square could still take it. Protecting the heart and warding off evil—those were also among the Severing Thought Sword's effects. It made sense as a complement.

Then the final sentence fell.

"Even the lightning tribulation of Divine Punishment can be withstood to an extent."

The square froze.

In that instant, every sound in all of Spirit City was drained away.

There was no breathing, no rustle of clothing. Even the wind stopped.

Divine Punishment.

Lightning tribulation.

Withstand it to an extent.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stood at the side of the square. Both his legs gave way, and with a thud, he dropped to one knee.

Beside him, Ghost Douluo had completely collapsed—not kneeling, but sitting, his backside on the stone bricks and both legs stretched straight out. The muscles in his old face twitched one by one.

"Divine Punishment..."

Two words squeezed from Ghost Douluo's throat, their final syllable fading away.

He had lived for nearly two hundred years.

He had witnessed natural disasters, man-made calamities, and battles between Titled Douluo that could destroy heaven and earth.

But he had never seen anything capable of withstanding Divine Punishment.

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

Around the outskirts of the square, Spirit City's residents crowded the street entrances, craning their necks to look up at the sky.

The teahouse owner's jaw had dislocated, and his mouth hung open. The waiter beside him had to pry it back into place with a couple of tugs.

An apprentice from the blacksmith's shop stood frozen, clutching an untempered iron billet. It slipped from his hands and clanged down onto his foot.

He didn't react.

The storyteller in the south of the city had bitten through his pen.

He was already putting together the Record of Celestial Master Betrothal Gifts. He had polished the wording for the first four tiers, but how was he supposed to write the fifth?

Who would believe the words "withstands Divine Punishment" if he put them down?

But the voice of Heaven and Earth had said it with its own mouth. How could anyone dare not believe it?

The ceremonial garment still floated in the air. Auspicious qi poured more and more thickly from the Golden Toad patterns, condensing into a pale golden mist above the square.

Wherever the mist swept, everyone's aches and pains eased a little. Chrysanthemum Douluo's old injuries no longer ached. Ghost Douluo's back stopped hurting. Even the patrolmen on the outskirts, fresh from their night shift and yawning nonstop, perked up.

It gathered qi and blessings.

It hadn't even touched the ground, yet it was already working.

The Tribulation-Avoiding Garment hung suspended in the air for three breaths. Then it moved.

The golden garment tilted slowly and drifted toward a spot in the square.

It was neither hurried nor slow. Its hems billowed in the windless air, trailing a long golden streak.

Hu Liena stood on the steps, her head tilted back.

The garment was flying toward her.

Just like every betrothal gift before it—she didn't need to reach out, welcome it, or perform any ceremony.

It came of its own accord.

The Tribulation-Avoiding Garment paused for a moment an arm's length away from her.

The Golden Toad pattern faced her, and auspicious ripples spread from the copper coin in its mouth.

Then—the garment moved.

Starting at her shoulders, the golden fabric settled along her shoulders, slid down her arms, wrapped around her waist, and fell to her ankles.

No external force was involved. The garment dressed her by itself—recognizing its master.

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

It wasn't the scorching heat of the Primordial Spirit Bead, the chill of the Severing Thought Sword, or the crystalline coolness of the Star River Map.

It was warm, pure, and utterly noninvasive.

The warmth spread from her shoulders to her fingertips, from her waist and abdomen to the soles of her feet, then gathered at her chest and settled over her heart.

Hu Liena lowered her head.

The golden garment was impossibly thin. She could barely feel its weight, so light that for a moment she wondered whether she was actually wearing it.

But when she looked down, the Three-Legged Golden Toad was perched across the front of her garment. Its back rose and fell, and every breath brought a feeling of calm.

Calm.

The word flickered through her mind.

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

Calm meant "there's nothing to fear."

The Primordial Spirit Bead had made her stronger, the Fate-Suppressing Cauldron had weakened her opponents, the Severing Thought Sword had given her the power to strike, and the Star River Map had doubled the speed of her cultivation.

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

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

He was covering her back.

No matter how high the first four gifts pushed her, the fifth one said:

Even if you can't hold on one day, this garment will shield you.

It could withstand Divine Punishment to an extent.

What else could she possibly fail to withstand?

Hu Liena's five fox tails gradually loosened, hanging behind her as their tips swayed gently.

The taut string in her shoulders, pulled tight for seven days, finally went slack.

Her right hand touched the front of her garment. Beneath her palm, the Golden Toad's back rose and fell.

Its touch was warm and smooth, cloaked in a thin layer of spiritual energy. Against her body, it was impossible to tell where garment ended and person began.

Ye Lingling stood two steps behind her, clutching her sleeves in both hands until her knuckles turned white.

It wasn't nervousness. It was excitement.

Every gift from the Celestial Master was wonderful.

Each one was better than the last.

This one—Ye Lingling stared at the golden hem hanging down Hu Liena's back, and her nose began to sting again.

The Celestial Master had even protected her life.

"Sister Ye?"

Hu Liena turned her head.

Ye Lingling blinked quickly twice, forcing the glimmer of tears back.

"N-no, I'm fine."

She pulled at the corners of her mouth and smiled.

She smiled so hard her cheekbones ached.

Bibi Dong descended from the highest step.

Her nine Soul Rings had withdrawn.

The golden auspicious light made her ceremonial robes look dark and somber, an eye-catching contrast against the shimmering Tribulation-Avoiding Garment Hu Liena wore.

She stopped in front of Hu Liena.

The two stood three steps apart.

Bibi Dong's gaze swept from the garment's collar to its hem, pausing for two breaths on the Golden Toad pattern.

The toad's back still rose and fell, each breath spilling out auspicious qi. The qi flowed to within three feet of Bibi Dong, then dispersed on its own.

It wasn't being repelled. The Tribulation-Avoiding Garment recognized only one master, and its surplus auspicious qi would not spill over to anyone else.

Bibi Dong's right hand twitched.

Her fingers spread, then closed again, returning beneath her sleeve.

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

She had spent most of her life cultivating.

She had crawled out from beneath Qian Renxue's shadow, fought her way through Dugu Bo's schemes, and climbed step by step to the position of Spirit Hall Pope amid the power struggles between the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall. She had wagered her life on every step.

Now, she was only one last step away from godhood.

The Rakshasa God's legacy.

But the Rakshasa God's inheritance was rooted in slaughter. The farther she went, the heavier her inner demons became and the more tribulations she faced.

It wasn't as though she had never wondered—what if she couldn't pass that final trial?

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

Until now, there had been no answer.

Now, the answer hung on her disciple's body.

"With this ceremonial garment..." Bibi Dong began.

Hu Liena looked up at her.

Bibi Dong's lips pressed together for a moment.

The curve was so slight it could hardly be called a smile, but it was indeed a smile.

"It's like having another life."