Heavenly Secrets Warn of Shiji's Tribulation

Deep within Xuan Chuan's cave-dwelling on Golden Turtle Island.

After the public trial at the Immortal-Slaying Platform and the thorough purging of internal threats, Xuan Chuan had not immersed himself in the satisfaction of standing at the pinnacle of prestige.

The cold, immense Tribulation Qi of heaven and earth he had sensed through The One That Escaped hung above his head like a sword, constantly warning him—the true storm was about to arrive.

He chose to enter seclusion.

Not to improve his cultivation, but to combine The One That Escaped with his foreknowledge of the greater currents of the Investiture of the Gods.

He would devote all his efforts to deducing the subtle ripples beneath the first emergence of Tribulation Qi, seeking out those "critical junctures" that might be swept in first and that concerned Jiejiao's fate.

Upon the Jade-Purple Platform, Xuan Chuan sat with his eyes slightly closed, his body shrouded in a hazy violet-gold radiance.

Within his sea of consciousness, The One That Escaped spun at an unprecedented speed. Streams of violet light stretched out like feelers toward the River of Heavenly Secrets, chaotic and obscure in the unseen void, yet containing countless branching fates.

Blurry images, fragmented karmic ties, intertwining strands of Tribulation Qi... all surged into his perception like a tidal wave.

He saw phoenixes cry out in Xiqi, purple qi arriving from the east; he saw demonic miasma over Chaoge, the Imperial Star dimming.

He saw the Yuxu Palace of the Kunlun Mountains blazing with brilliance, and the Sword Qi of Biyou Palace shooting into the heavens while concealing solemn gravity... these were the grand scenes of heaven and earth's great tribulation.

Yet what Xuan Chuan sought were the "lesser currents"—the "sparks" that had occurred early in the original trajectory, seemingly insignificant, but which might have far-reaching consequences and even trigger a chain reaction.

His divine sense was like the finest sieve, painstakingly sorting through the vast turbulent currents of karma.

He filtered out all the complicated, irrelevant information and focused on threads of fate connected to "Jiejiao," "fellow disciples," and "the near future."

Who knew how long passed? Perhaps several days, perhaps only an instant.

Suddenly!

An exceedingly fine karmic thread, gray and dim in color yet faintly suffused with bloody light and a sharp gleam of gold—representing slaughter and a child's baleful ferocity—leapt from the tangled threads and clearly entered Xuan Chuan's sight!

One end of the thread pointed to a familiar name—Shiji! White Bone Cave on White Bone Mountain, that Jiejiao fellow disciple of gentle temperament who cultivated in quiet seclusion year-round and scarcely participated in sect affairs!

The other end wound around two glaring marks: one was the phantom of a child standing upon Wind-Fire Wheels and holding a Fire-Tipped Spear, his baleful ferocity soaring to the heavens.

The other was the phantom of a majestic Daoist holding a whisk, bearing an auspicious cloud above his head, and surrounded by Nine-Dragon Divine Fire, his calculations deep and unfathomable!

Nezha! Taiyi!

And at the "end" of that karmic thread lay a dense shadow of death that could not be dissolved, along with the phantom of the Investiture of the Gods List!

"Shiji... a life-ending tribulation! It will strike within these next few days!" Xuan Chuan abruptly opened his eyes. Violet-gold light flashed explosively within them, as though two bolts of lightning had streaked through the cave-dwelling!

A chill shot up his spine. Shiji! In the original trajectory, she had been one of Jiejiao's most unjustly wronged disciples at the very opening of the Investiture of the Gods!

Only because one of her attendant children had been accidentally shot dead by Nezha, she had gone to demand an explanation, only to be denounced as "of the left-hand path" by the overly protective Taiyi.

She had been refined alive beneath the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Hood. A wisp of her soul had ascended the Investiture of the Gods List, and she had been made the insignificant minor deity Moon-Traveling Star. How bleak!

More importantly, this had become one of the fuses for the early direct conflict between Chanjiao and Jiejiao. It had intensified their hostility and cost Jiejiao a kind-hearted disciple, damaging the sect's fate!

He absolutely could not allow it to happen!

Xuan Chuan rose sharply to his feet, utterly shattering the tranquility of his seclusion.

With a flash of his body, he appeared outside the cave-dwelling. He raised his head to the sky and, relying on his enhanced perception and foreknowledge, swiftly calculated the timing.

"It is within these next few days! It may even... be today!" Xuan Chuan's heart tightened. Time was pressing! Although White Bone Mountain was not extremely far from Golden Turtle Island, it still required crossing several provinces!

Without hesitation, his divine sense swept out like invisible ripples toward Three Immortals Island and Zhao Gongming's cave-dwelling. At the same time, he sent an urgent message.

"Junior Brother Gongming, Junior Sister Yunxiao, come to me at once! A fellow disciple's life hangs by a thread, and we must render immediate aid!"

The urgency and killing intent contained in his voice made Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao, upon receiving the message, shudder inwardly. They did not delay in the slightest and immediately transformed into streaks of escape light as they rushed over.

In but a moment, two formidable auras descended.

"Senior Brother Xuan Chuan, what has happened? Why such urgency?" Before Zhao Gongming arrived, his voice came first, filled with concern and confusion.

Yunxiao, too, furrowed her delicate brows slightly as she looked toward Xuan Chuan.

"White Bone Mountain. Junior Sister Shiji." Xuan Chuan was succinct, his expression grave.

"I just sensed the heavenly secrets. She faces a life-ending tribulation in the coming days, and its source lies with Nezha, a third-generation disciple of Chanjiao, and his master, Taiyi!

This tribulation is perilous. She may fall, and her soul may be sent to the Investiture of the Gods List! We must depart at once!"

"Senior Sister Shiji?" Zhao Gongming froze. He had a strong impression of that gentle senior sister who never contended with the world. "She has always behaved herself. How could she provoke a killing tribulation? And with Chanjiao people, no less?"

Yunxiao was more meticulous by nature and immediately grasped the key point. "Could it be Nezha, the reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl? I have heard that this child is unruly and possesses extremely heavy Baleful Intent, born in response to the tribulation.

I have also long heard of Uncle-Master Taiyi's reputation for shielding his own. If Senior Sister Shiji's disciples come into conflict with him..." Her expression changed slightly. "With Chanjiao's usual conduct, I fear they will not let the matter rest!"

"Precisely." Xuan Chuan's voice was low. "This is a scheme of Chanjiao, and it is also the working of the tribulation.

Junior Sister Shiji will suffer innocently. Our Jiejiao cannot stand by and watch! This is not only to save a fellow disciple, but also to curb Chanjiao's vicious flames and protect our sect's fate!"

"Outrageous!" Zhao Gongming's hair seemed to rise in fury. "Chanjiao has gone too far! They dare scheme against and kill even a fellow disciple peacefully cultivating?

Do they think Jiejiao has no one? Senior Brother, let us go at once! We must save Senior Sister Shiji, then have a proper discussion with that Taiyi!"

Yunxiao nodded as well. "There is no time to lose, Brother. We should leave immediately.

Only..." She looked at Xuan Chuan. "Should we summon more people? Uncle-Master Taiyi is one of the Twelve Golden Immortals. His cultivation is profound, and he may not be easy to deal with."

Xuan Chuan pondered briefly, then shook his head. "There is no time! More people would only slow us down. The three of us, together with Junior Sister Shiji herself, will be enough to handle this.

If Taiyi dares act fiercely, we shall meet him with the Three Talents Formation! Besides..."

A cold light flashed through his eyes. "We hold the moral high ground in this matter. If he truly dares use his status as an elder to commit an act of extermination, Master will not simply stand aside!"

"Good!" Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao no longer hesitated.

Xuan Chuan swiftly sent another message to Qiongxiao and Bixiao, who were overseeing formation drills, ordering them to heighten their vigilance, attend to Golden Turtle Island's defenses, and dispatch people to scout and provide support near White Bone Mountain.

Once the arrangements were complete, Xuan Chuan summoned the Fate-Cutting Sword. It transformed into a streak of violet-gold escape light and shot into the sky, heading straight for White Bone Mountain!

"Go!"

Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao exchanged a glance, each mounting their own escape light as they followed close behind.

Zhao Gongming became a beam of golden light, while Yunxiao rode upon an auspicious cloud. All three traveled at tremendous speed, like three meteors tearing through the sky as they raced toward White Bone Mountain!

Along the way, thoughts whirled through Xuan Chuan's mind as he continuously deduced the possible developments.

Although Shiji's death in the original trajectory had been prompted by the killing of her attendant child, in essence, Taiyi had deliberately picked a quarrel so his disciple could answer the tribulation. He had even intentionally escalated the conflict, sending Shiji to the list to complete her killing tribulation.

This time, he would not only save her. He would expose Taiyi's scheme, seize the moral high ground, and ideally turn the tables on him!

"Taiyi... Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Hood..." Xuan Chuan's gaze was icy. "Perfect. I will use you to test the edge of my Fate-Cutting Sword and the power of Merit!"

The ten-thousand-mile cloud route swiftly shortened beneath the full-speed flight of three Primordial Unity Golden Immortals or stronger. The outline of White Bone Mountain had already faintly appeared on the distant horizon.

Xuan Chuan extended his divine awareness forward to its utmost limit, attempting to catch any fluctuations of magical power or abnormal aura coming from the direction of White Bone Mountain.

You must make it in time...