Chen Xiao looked at Ao Xie and felt a little relieved. He had truly been afraid that Ao Xie wouldn't learn his lesson and would keep thinking he was the greatest under heaven.
Now that he saw Ao Xie suppressing all the arrogance he'd once carried, he finally felt at ease.
The tribulation had ended, and the tribulation clouds were gradually dispersing.
"Get up. Take care of your family affairs, then come find me in Moon-Gazing City, Xuhe Realm, Glazed Heaven within three days."
Chen Xiao's voice rang in Ao Xie's mind. A moment later, he returned to his room.
"Pfft!"
The instant Chen Xiao's feet touched the ground, he couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of blood. Then he began coughing violently.
"Using the might of the heavenly tribulation to attack living beings beyond the range of the tribulation clouds really does bring a heavy backlash."
Chen Xiao gave a bitter laugh. Just now, he'd truly feared that those Mystic Immortals would keep going after Ao Xie, so he'd directly gathered the power of the lightning tribulation and attacked the seventeen Mystic Immortals of the Sea Ghost Clan, leaving them behind.
But those seventeen were Mystic Immortals, and they hadn't been within the range of the tribulation clouds or entered the tribulation area. Once they were beyond the heavenly tribulation's reach, they were no longer subject to its laws, and Chen Xiao couldn't interfere either. Forcing the lightning tribulation to strike them naturally came at a steep price.
The backlash from the lightning tribulation had shaken Chen Xiao's internal organs, but these were only minor injuries and nothing serious. However, those few bolts of lightning had drained all of his true essence. His body was now completely empty, and the true essence he'd possessed—comparable to that of someone in the Nascent Soul Realm—had been entirely used up.
Fortunately, the Thunder Virtue Heavenly Book had protected Chen Xiao. Otherwise, that strike would have taken his life.
More serious, however, was the backlash to Chen Xiao's mind. It had been shaken, and that wasn't something he could recover from in a day or two.
Chen Xiao sat cross-legged on the ground and frantically circulated the Nine Heavens Thunder Virtue Universal Transformation Art. The remaining tens of thousands of Heavenly Mystery Stones in his Storage Ring quickly turned into streams of spiritual energy and flowed into his body.
His true essence and divine sense were now both severely depleted. For the time being, he couldn't select another Tribulation Disciple.
Above Moon-Gazing City, Nangong Xiangyan and twelve of his Tribulation Transcendence Realm subordinates fought Shi Chou for a full three hours. In the end, Shi Chou was outnumbered. After killing three Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivators from the Nangong Family, he fled in disarray, protected by the black coffin.
Shi Chou loved battle, but he could still read the situation. If he kept fighting like this, he'd lose his life. He'd also suffered severe injuries himself. Had it not been for the black coffin—an immortal artifact of unknown rank—that had shielded him, Nangong Xiangyan and his subordinates would have torn him to pieces long ago.
Nangong Xiangyan had suffered heavy losses as well. Not only had he lost three Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivators, but every one of his subordinates was injured, and he himself had been dealt a severe blow. Even the dark red immortal sword had nearly been smashed to pieces.
After watching Shi Chou escape under the black coffin's protection, Nangong Xiangyan spat out a mouthful of blood and roared in fury.
In the days that followed, cultivators throughout Moon-Gazing City talked endlessly about the battle. The strongest cultivator in the city was only at the late Tribulation Transcendence Realm. Now, two Void Immortals at the Mahayana Realm and twelve late Tribulation Transcendence Realm powerhouses had fought there. It had truly opened the eyes of the city's cultivators.
The cultivators in the city were familiar with Nangong Xiangyan. This was his second visit to Moon-Gazing City, as an envoy of the Glazed Heaven Palace to bestow honors upon the Chen Clan.
Two months later, people from Red Capital would arrive to escort Chen Tiannan to Red Capital to receive his honors. Nangong Xiangyan's stated reason for remaining here was to wait for them.
As for Shi Chou, this was his first appearance in Glazed Heaven, and everyone speculated about his origins.
Some said he was a wicked cultivator who had committed every kind of evil. Others claimed he was a descendant of the Yue Family, the former ruling household of Moon-Gazing City, and had come to reclaim everything the Yue Family had lost.
In any case, there were all sorts of stories about Shi Chou's origins.
When Chen Xiao heard about it, he silently mourned for Nangong Xiangyan and the others. Of the ten cultivators who'd survived—including Nangong Xiangyan—not one would live to see another day.
Shi Chou had an incomparably powerful super faction backing him. He was challenging cultivators throughout Glazed Heaven for a total of thirty years. In the early years, quite a few people had taken him for a lunatic and ganged up on him.
But Shi Chou was like a cockroach in the mortal world: he just wouldn't die. Even when a hundred Mahayana Realm cultivators surrounded him, he could still escape. Yet every cultivator who joined in the attack vanished without a trace within ten days. Naturally, they had all perished.
And if an immortal attacked Shi Chou, the faction behind that immortal would be wiped out overnight.
Shi Chou was clearly a core disciple released by some unknown, super-powerful sect to receive special cultivation. Yet the Glazed Heaven Palace turned a blind eye to everything he did, letting him do as he pleased.
Three days later, another young man arrived at the entrance to Moon-Gazing City's City Lord's Mansion, demanding by name to see Chen Xiao.
After what had happened with Shi Chou, the guards at the City Lord's Mansion had learned their lesson. If they encountered anyone unusual, they avoided offending them whenever possible. If this was another Mahayana Realm powerhouse, they could be killed and no one would care.
The young man before them had snow-white hair, bound beneath a golden crown. His silver battle robe shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, making him look imposing and dignified.
When Chen Xiao received word, he knew that his Second Tribulation Disciple, Ao Xie, had arrived. He instructed the guards to take Ao Xie to his courtyard. A Tribulation Disciple didn't warrant Chen Xiao going out to greet him personally.
Although the Crystal Dragon Palace was far from Moon-Gazing City, there was a mysterious connection between a Tribulation Disciple and Chen Xiao. Ao Xie could use that connection to reach Chen Xiao's vicinity quickly.
"Ao Xie greets you, Master!"
When Ao Xie saw Chen Xiao, a flicker of excitement appeared in his cold eyes. He dropped to one knee and spoke.
This was an existence capable of transforming into heavenly punishment and wielding the heavenly tribulation. To have the good fortune to become his Tribulation Disciple meant becoming an agent of heavenly punishment. As the Tribulation Disciple of the Transformation Tribulation, he would one day assist the Tribulation Master in overseeing it. Their future prospects would surely be limitless. It might even be possible for them to break through the shackles of the Supreme Immortal and become the legendary Fruit Status Immortals.
"Mm, get up." Chen Xiao nodded. His true essence had recovered by half, but his mental injuries couldn't be healed in the short term.
"From now on, just call me Young Master. Don't call me Master."
"Yes, Young Master."
Ao Xie's voice was clear. Though his expression remained cold, his former arrogance was gone. Clearly, going through the tribulation had taught him a great deal.
"Young Master, this is an Eight-Treasure Heavenly Spirit Pill."
Ao Xie took a jade bottle from his Storage Ring and offered it to Chen Xiao with both hands.
Chen Xiao frowned slightly and didn't take the bottle. "You know who I am, but my cultivation is inferior to yours. I don't want to see a Dragon Clan crown prince at the Mahayana Realm acting humble before a Golden Core Realm cultivator."
Ao Xie's body trembled.
"Whether demon or human, what we cultivators seek is simply to follow our hearts and act as we please. Since you don't truly respect me in your heart, there's no need to put on such an attitude."
Chen Xiao's tone was calm. He could plainly see that Ao Xie wasn't acting this way from the heart. He was forcing down his true nature and deliberately showing respect.
Chen Xiao was Ao Xie's Tribulation Master. How could he fail to see what Ao Xie was thinking? If Ao Xie went against his own heart and deliberately put on an attitude of respect, before long he would surely develop a heart demon.