Tongtian Split the Thunder Tribulation with His Sword, Attaining the Primordial Golden Immortal

"Laozi merely wanted a twelve-petaled bloom, yet you used the Dutian Divine Thunder. Hongjun, are you afraid?"

Laozi performed a quick calculation with his fingers. A trace of surprise rippled through his calm, detached eyes as he looked at Lu Chen with a hint of pity and reluctance.

"Third Brother, you must not. This Dutian Divine Thunder Tribulation is not meant to test Lu Chen, but to... destroy him!"

"Lu Chen has been cultivating in seclusion on Kunlun Mountain all this time. He has never incurred any karmic slaughter. Why?"

"Because of his talent!"

"Those monstrous geniuses are not tolerated by the Heavenly Dao..."

Yuanshi turned pale with shock. He admitted that, upon learning that the lotus platform Lu Chen had manifested had at least nine petals, he had felt envy, even jealousy, toward Lu Chen's talent. Yet when he thought of Lu Chen being destroyed simply because his talent was too monstrous, a trace of compassion rose in his heart as well.

Tongtian's eyes were unfocused as he stared blankly at the sky. Beneath those pitch-black clouds, not a sliver of light could be seen, just like Lu Chen's present plight. He had heard Lu Chen's inner voice just now. Was Hongjun the one behind this?

Tongtian desperately wanted to tell himself that Teacher Hongjun was not such a person, but... the Dutian Divine Thunder Tribulation was also known as the Destruction Divine Thunder. Its terror was far beyond what the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation or even the Nine-Nine Great Tribulation could compare to.

Within the Primordial World, only the Violet Firmament Divine Thunder could rival it. Since his birth, this was the first time he had truly witnessed the Dutian Divine Thunder.

Its terror was simply the kind that left no path to survival.

This thunder tribulation came from the Heavenly Dao, and after Teacher Hongjun's third lecture, he had merged himself with the Dao. Thus, Hongjun could now be said to be the Heavenly Dao itself.

He could not deceive himself even if he tried.

"Can the Nine-Turn Origin Art provide such deep reserves of mana?"

Yuanshi muttered as he watched Lu Chen's physical body, once again restored to perfect condition by mana.

This was already the fiftieth time Lu Chen had repaired himself.

The reserves of mana Lu Chen had displayed had already surpassed the boundary of Great Luo.

Yet Lu Chen knew his own condition very well. The mana within his body had long since been squeezed dry. What sustained his body's restoration now was the remaining spiritual liquid in the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase, flowing endlessly into him before being converted into mana, barely holding him up.

The spiritual liquid in the vase was being depleted at a visibly rapid rate.

"Which bolt is this?"

"The eightieth."

In the sky, Lu Chen lowered his head and used mana to mend his scar-covered body. He was incomparably weak, looking as though he could collapse at any moment, as if he would fall the very next second.

Seeing Lu Chen like this, Tongtian's eyes had turned bloodshot. They brimmed with grief as he stared fixedly at the heavens, an imperceptible flash of hatred passing through their depths.

If nothing unexpected happened, his eldest disciple, so breathtakingly gifted, would likely perish today. And the one acting against him was his own teacher.

Tongtian's heart was in unbearable torment.

If he acted, it would mean defying the will of the Heavenly Dao and the will of his teacher, Hongjun. But if he did not act, was he to watch with his own eyes as his disciple died before him?

The next moment, the laws of the Sword Dao within Tongtian suddenly erupted. Dao charm spread around him, and at some unknown moment, the Green Duckweed Sword had appeared in his hand.

He raised the Green Duckweed Sword and pointed it toward the vault of heaven.

Tongtian closed his eyes. His Sword Dao aura suddenly surged, making his entire body radiate a sharpness that caused Yuanshi and Laozi to turn their attention toward him.

The next moment, Tongtian swung the Green Duckweed Sword in his hand and slashed out at the Dutian Divine Thunder that was about to descend!

Azure Sword Qi burst across the sky...

As this sword strike flew forth, Tongtian felt his entire being lighten.

He did not wish to defy anyone's will, but neither would he sit by and watch his disciple die!

At this moment, Tongtian's mind suddenly became clear and unclouded.

Immediately afterward, an unfathomably profound aura spread around Tongtian.

"This is!"

Yuanshi and Laozi shifted their attention away from Lu Chen and toward Tongtian.

An aura transcending Great Luo emanated from Tongtian. At this moment, he felt like a sword to them—a sharp sword capable of sweeping away and severing every obstacle blocking his path!

"This is... Tongtian, he has stepped into the Primordial Golden Immortal realm!"

The final bolt of the thunder tribulation descended.

This time, it did not strike Lu Chen's body, but the lotus platform above his head.

The lotus platform above his head endured the Dutian Divine Thunder for less than three breaths before shattering. The remaining divine thunder then fell upon Lu Chen.

Lu Chen was fighting desperately as well. He could no longer afford to hide his strength, so he brought out the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase and directly absorbed the divine thunder into it.

Besides absorbing objects, the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase could also absorb attacks.

This was the trump card Lu Chen had reserved for himself.

The eighty-first bolt of thunder tribulation fell. The ink-black clouds did not unleash any further lightning, instead quietly dispersing. A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell upon Lu Chen.

Yet he could not feel the slightest warmth...

His eyes rolled back, and his body fell freely.

Duobao, who had been standing nearby all along, hurriedly flew over and caught Lu Chen. Looking at Lu Chen's battered body, Duobao's eyes filled with tears.

"Eldest Senior Brother, how is Lu Chen?"

"He still has a thread of breath left. It seems Third Brother's final sword strike proved useful."

Laozi appeared beside Duobao. After placing his fingers on Lu Chen's wrist to examine him, he shook his head.

"Lu Chen's Great Luo Dao Fruit was destroyed by the thunder tribulation. Although his Great Luo cultivation remains, I fear there is no hope of advancing any further."

"It is fine. As long as he is alive, that is enough."

Tongtian could accept this outcome. Compared to having his body and Dao both perish, at least he was still alive.

At the foot of Kunlun Mountain, a pale and frail-looking young man in black robes sat upon a bluestone, holding a supreme fishing rod made from ten-thousand-year green bamboo and thousand-year ice silkworm thread. With one hand propping up his chin, he watched the tranquil river, where fish swam to and fro.

A chubby little fellow with an honest, guileless build swept over from afar. Reaching the young man's side, he looked at the hook in the water with confusion on his face. "Eldest Brother, if you wish to fish, why do you not use bait? Why use this old, ordinary iron hook instead?"

The frail young man smiled faintly. "When fishing, those who are willing will bite."

"Eldest Brother, this is a spiritual treasure I found recently for you."

The chubby little fellow extended his plump hand before the young man. Resting in it was a small seal carved with dragons and phoenixes.

"A low-grade innate spiritual treasure, the Dragon-Phoenix Seal."

Looking at the small seal in the chubby little fellow's hand, a faint smile appeared on the young man's face. He reached out and took the seal into his hand.

"Come. Let us go back."

With a slight flick of his hand, the fishhook lifted from the water, and he rose from the bluestone.

The young man's figure was somewhat thin, as though a gust of wind could knock him over. The chubby little fellow followed behind him with both hands slightly spread apart, ready to support him at once should he stumble.

"My body is not that weak."

The young man turned back with a smile, but his face was pale and utterly bloodless, and the smile on his face carried a measure of forced cheer.

A trace of grief appeared in the chubby little fellow's eyes.

"Eldest Brother..."

"Disciple, this is a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir I asked Eldest Brother for. Eat one. With mana nourishing you, your body will feel somewhat better. And this treasure gourd—your master has already refined it. Keep it on you for protection."

"Master, Duobao, I truly am not as fragile as you think..."

A bitter smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.