Lightning Tribulation?

The wind, thunder, and fire tribulations are the three most common tribulations for cultivators to face.

According to general consensus, only those at the Golden Core Realm face tribulations, and reaching the Nascent Soul Realm requires enduring even more.

Yet Fei Luo, an anomaly, has already been targeted by the jealousy of the heavens while merely at the False Core Realm.

The heavens envy talent; particularly heaven-defying cultivators are often not tolerated by the Heavenly Dao.

Cultivators struggle against heaven and earth, and only through constant tribulations can they attain the path of eternal life.

Fei Luo's mindset had also undergone a change at this moment.

Transmigrating to this world was neither a good thing nor a bad thing.

He was fortunate to have awakened a system and obtained this cheat-like bug, but that did not mean Fei Luo could rest easy.

Great opportunities are often where misfortune lies hidden.

"Let's go, my two brothers. Let me see what this lightning tribulation is all about." Fei Luo stood up, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light.

His state of mind was now as smooth and clear as a copper mirror.

A heart like a mirror can illuminate one's true self.

This is the heart of a powerhouse, something essential for any strong individual.

Daoist techniques are easy to cultivate, but the cultivation of the heart is difficult.

To become a powerhouse, one must possess a formidable state of mind.

Watching Fei Luo before them, both the City God Li Ru and the two underworld envoys were secretly shocked.

They felt a subtle change occurring within Fei Luo, a unique and distinct aura.

"Young Master, please." The two underworld envoys stood up and bowed slightly.

Fei Luo nodded and headed outside the temple.

The City God Temple backed onto the East Great Mountain, and Ren Family Town was surrounded by mountains; mountain ranges could be seen everywhere here.

A surge of heroic spirit rose in Fei Luo's heart, his footsteps steady and powerful. "Azure Sky Ghost Venerable, is it? Once I advance to the Solid Core Realm, I will have the confidence to fight even a Golden Core Realm expert!"

Fei Luo knew his own strength; his entire body was a treasure, and cross-realm challenges were as easy as drinking water to him.

At this moment, a hundred miles away from Ren Family Town, two figures were speeding through the dark night.

If Fei Luo were here, he would recognize one of them as Lin Xiao at a glance.

The Jade-Faced Scholar, Lin Xiao, was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm and was the youngest ghost general under the Azure Sky Ghost Venerable.

Beside him was a man whose lower body was like a phantom; his form was dreamlike and illusory, appearing as a hazy mist, yet he maintained a humanoid shape, drifting through the air like duckweed.

Lin Xiao's expression was respectful. "Third General, Ren Family Town is just ahead. That little Daoist is in Ren Family Town."

As he spoke, Lin Xiao looked at his newly regenerated left arm, his heart filled with infinite hatred.

Fei Luo had killed his beloved wife and severed his arm; it had taken until today for him to expend enough yin energy to successfully regenerate it.

At the same time, Lin Xiao sneered inwardly.

To exact his revenge, he had invited the Third General from under the Ghost Venerable's seat.

The Phantom General, ranked third, was one of the great ghost kings under the Ghost Venerable.

The Azure Sky Ghost Venerable had three great ghost kings, over a dozen ghost kings, and several "young talents" like Lin Xiao under his command.

If not for Lin Xiao's extraordinary talent, how could he have become a ghost general under the Azure Sky Ghost Venerable with only peak Foundation Establishment strength?

"He is merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator; don't forget the promise you made to me." A ghostly voice drifted out. The voice of the dreamlike man was like ten-thousand-year-old ice, radiating endless coldness.

"Certainly." Lin Xiao nodded, his face full of sycophancy.

A great ghost king was a Solid Core Realm expert.

Although this Phantom General was ranked third among the three great ghost kings, that did not mean he was the weakest.

On the contrary, his mysterious abilities were the most troublesome of the three.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao felt a secret pang of pain.

For this trip, he had promised to find tributes for the Third General for one year, with no less than one hundred per month.

That amounted to twelve hundred in a year. He smiled bitterly to himself; even if he were at the peak of Foundation Establishment, he wouldn't dare to stir up such trouble by capturing one hundred supplements a month.

Do you not see that the profession of demon slayer exists in this world?

Those orthodox Daoist and Buddhist cultivators all took it upon themselves to eliminate demons and defend the path.

But for the sake of revenge, Lin Xiao had no choice but to do so.

"The General did not report to the Ghost Venerable before setting out on this expedition, is that..." Lin Xiao looked at the approaching Ren Family Town and asked cautiously.

"No need. To kill a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, there is no need to report to the Venerable."

The ghostly voice drifted away, and Lin Xiao fell silent.

Silence.

The two figures merged into the night, nearing Ren Family Town.

"Such a powerful aura, coming from the east." The Phantom General paused, murmuring, "In all of Ren Family Town, there is only this one exceptionally young aura, along with two underworld envoys and that old, undying City God. The person you spoke of must be there."

"What?" Lin Xiao asked in surprise, "Third General, he is only at the Foundation Establishment Realm; how could he be strong?"

"Fool!" the Phantom General said eerily, "He is a False Core Realm cultivator. No wonder he could wound you with a single sword strike—how could a fool like you possibly discern his true cultivation?"

"However," the Phantom General smiled sinisterly, "there are two ghost envoys; I shall devour them. They will be a great tonic."

Whoosh!

As he finished speaking, the Phantom General's dreamlike eyes glowed with intense excitement as he headed toward the east.

Lin Xiao stood there, completely bewildered.

He was not angry because the Third General had insulted him.

Rather, the words "False Core Realm" struck deep into his heart.

How could that be?

He was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator; I couldn't have misjudged that. The mana of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is completely different in form from that of the False Core Realm.

Could I have been mistaken? Was my vision blurred?

Confused, Lin Xiao's ghost body shuddered as he followed the Third General toward the east.

"Heh, human boy, no matter how strange you may be, today, you will surely die." Lin Xiao's voice dissipated into the void, carried away by the wind, unheard by ordinary ears.

He did not fear the underworld envoys in the slightest.

The Phantom General was a Great Ghost King of the Solid Core Realm; whether human, ghost, or zombie, every tier brought a qualitative change.

Challenging someone of a higher tier?

In this Age of Dharma Decline, that was nothing but a joke.

Underworld envoys had also fallen into decline in this era; many powerful ghosts and monsters fed upon them, as the bodies of underworld deities were great tonics for them.

At the peak of East Mountain.

Fei Luo adjusted his spirit and energy, slowly circulating the mana within his body to prepare for breaking through the barrier between the False Core Realm and the Solid Core Realm.

The two underworld envoys stood to the side.

Li Ru, the City God, watched quietly from within his temple; he had expended too much energy today and could not stray too far from his shrine.

A fine, continuous drizzle fell, landing on Fei Luo's head and trickling down his hairline.

"Break for me!"

As Fei Luo struck against the cultivation barrier, a majestic heavenly might suddenly manifested in the sky, and a visible bolt of lightning raged through the dark night.

Suddenly, the two underworld envoys' expressions changed drastically, "Oh no, Young Master, a Great Ghost King is approaching! He is less than a hundred meters away!"

Boom!

At that very moment, a slender purple bolt of lightning descended, striking toward Fei Luo.