Fierce Tiger Crouching Stance!

Seeing Zhang Qingxuan's heroic feat of throwing himself into the lightning tribulation, the Ice Soul Demon Tiger was stunned.

"Holy shit... what a madman!" The Ice Soul Demon Tiger's eyes bulged, and the fur all over its body stood on end.

After cultivating for tens of thousands of years, this was the first time it had seen someone take the initiative to charge toward a Heavenly Tribulation!

In the distance, the Ice Empress was also startled. Her emerald compound eyes were filled with shock and doubt.

"Snow Empress, is this what he meant by 'reducing the lightning tribulation's power'? He's clearly rushing up there to die!"

The Snow Empress said nothing. She quietly watched that figure charging unflinchingly toward the tribulation lightning. Deep within her ice-blue eyes, the faintest ripple passed.

Within that ripple were doubt, anticipation, and a kind of... hope even she herself had not noticed.

At the same time.

Within the lightning tribulation, Zhang Qingxuan sat cross-legged in midair beside the illusory yet tangible Body Martial Soul behind him.

The Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram slowly revolved to his left, while the Green Leaf Sword hummed and trembled to his right. Like his most loyal guardians, they protected the center.

"Boom—crack!"

Several bolts of lightning as thick as water barrels tore through the sky and came crashing down.

Yet before they could enter within thirty feet of Zhang Qingxuan, they were forcefully intercepted by the spinning Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram and emerald sword light, swallowed whole like whales drawing in water.

Only a few stray lightning snakes managed to slip into the inner circle, but they too instantly entered Zhang Qingxuan's body, where he calmly refined them through his cultivation method.

"Tribulation lightning is also essence of heaven and earth. How could I miss such an opportunity?"

A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Qingxuan's eyes. Rather than retreating, he leaped forward, becoming a streak of light that shot directly toward the churning purple source at the heart of the tribulation clouds, which radiated both destruction and creation.

The moment he entered, the surrounding scene changed drastically.

This was no longer a layer of clouds, but a vast purple ocean composed entirely of violent lightning.

"Bzzzz—!"

The Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram and Green Leaf Sword let out joyous hums at the same time, as though drought-stricken land had finally met rain.

They transformed on their own into two deep vortices—one black and white, the other green and emerald—and began greedily devouring the boundless power of the lightning tribulation's source.

Zhang Qingxuan did not dare slack off either. The Five Thunders Method within him began circulating wildly at an unprecedented speed.

Within his dantian, the lightning True Qi that had once been white with traces of purple now seemed to be nurturing some sort of transformation. The originally faint hint of purple spread and expanded at a visible rate, as though a lightning lotus were slowly blooming.

Just as he was wholly absorbed in drawing in the power, perhaps because the source had been violently disturbed, a strand of pure purple lightning source so refined that it made one's heart tremble escaped from the core. As though it possessed intelligence, it flashed away and vanished into the churning clouds outside.

Outside the tribulation clouds.

The Snow Empress stood in the air, her ice-blue eyes piercing through layer after layer of tribulation clouds as she fixed her gaze on the depths of the sea of clouds, trying to discern something.

The Ice Empress stood at her side, her pretty face full of disbelief as she muttered endlessly under her breath.

Xiao Bai hid behind a rock with half her head peeking out. Looking at the tribulation clouds in the sky, her eyes were filled with admiration.

The Ice Soul Demon Tiger anxiously pawed at the frozen ground beneath it, occasionally looking up at the sky as unconscious whimpers rose from its throat.

"My tiger god, The Master..." The Ice Soul Demon Tiger stared at the tribulation clouds filling the sky. Rather than striking down lightning, they were slowly shrinking and fading, and its tongue began to tangle.

"How is this weakening the Heavenly Tribulation? This, this is clearly about to swallow the Heavenly Tribulation clean!"

In the distance, Xiao Bai nodded hard. Her thunderous voice was filled with undisguised excitement. "Young Master... is amazing!"

The Ice Empress finally could not hold back. Tugging at the Snow Empress's sleeve, she pointed at the sky. "Snow Empress! That guy was clearly fooling us! How is this just 'a little'? Look, not a single bolt of lightning has struck yet! The tribulation clouds themselves are instead... shrinking!"

The Snow Empress remained silent. Only the faintest crease appeared between her brows on her frozen, peerlessly beautiful face.

Her gaze was fixed on that brief instant just now—within a gap in the roiling dark clouds, an utterly profound purple flashed past, so pure it made the soul tremble.

That was tribulation lightning, and source lightning of a quality beyond imagination!

Its power was likely far greater than the combined might of all the previous lightning bolts.

"Watch. Wait." The Snow Empress finally spoke, her voice cold and clear like shattered jade striking together, yet carrying unquestionable resolve.

"Everything can wait until he comes out."

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the tribulation clouds and see the figure overturning all common sense within. Countless thoughts passed through her mind before ultimately settling into a deep, secluded blue.

Everyone had secrets. She had no intention of probing further, as long as... he could accomplish that task.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick.

The tribulation clouds dispersed, and sunlight returned to the sky, as though the world-destroying lightning tribulation from before had merely been an illusion.

Zhang Qingxuan drifted gently to the ground, his robes fluttering and immaculate.

He immediately examined his dantian inwardly. There, an unusual bolt of lightning with a blazing white base yet noble purple lightning patterns flowing across it floated quietly, slowly rotating. Every turn emitted vast, heart-shaking power and vigorous vitality.

"As expected, it's good stuff..." A satisfied curve formed on Zhang Qingxuan's lips.

This unexpectedly condensed Purple Pattern Heavenly Gang Thunder had already become intertwined with his life, growing and transforming alongside him.

From this day onward, as long as the essential grade of lightning under heaven did not surpass this thunder, it would be no more threatening to him than Qingfeng brushing across his face.

"Your methods truly are unfathomable." A cool voice came from beside him as the Snow Empress stepped through the air and approached.

She looked at Zhang Qingxuan, a trace of complicated understanding flashing through her eyes.

Devouring a Heavenly Tribulation? No ordinary cultivation method could explain that. This man certainly carried a heaven-shaking secret.

"You big liar!" The Ice Empress followed as well, folding her arms and turning away in a huff. In a voice not loud but just enough for everyone to hear, she muttered.

"You said just a little... but you ended up swallowing the whole sky. Liar, liar!"

Xiao Bai quickly ran over and examined Zhang Qingxuan from head to toe. Only after confirming that not even a corner of his clothing was damaged did she grin foolishly and let out a breath of relief.

Just then—

"Benefactor—!"

A tiger's roar thick with tears and so overflowing with emotion that it was almost exaggerated rang out.

The Ice Soul Demon Tiger kicked hard with its hind legs, transforming into a black-and-white gale as it charged forward at a staggering speed.

When it reached within a few feet of Zhang Qingxuan, its front half abruptly rose upright. Then, with a solid thud, its hind legs dropped to the ground. Borrowing the force of its charge, it slid several feet across the ice and stopped with perfect precision at Zhang Qingxuan's feet, its two massive front paws braced against the ground.

"Thank you, Benefactor, for granting me a new life! Benefactor, your divine abilities are boundless and your righteousness reaches the heavens. You saved this little tiger from the disaster of the Heavenly Tribulation. Such grace is no different from giving me life anew. I will never forget it, and I am willing to serve before your horse and behind your saddle, brave boiling water and blazing fire..."

Watching the Ice Soul Demon Tiger's fluid, emotionally charged, and even somewhat comical performance.

Zhang Qingxuan was first stunned. Then an exceedingly strange look flashed through his eyes, and his thoughts instantly drifted far away—

This posture, this tone... why did it feel so familiar?

Why did it look so much like the inherited tradition of Dragon Tiger Mountain from his previous life—

Fierce Tiger Crouching Stance!