The Death Tribulation Remained Unchanged

[Consciousness]: Five years and three months

[Magic treasure]: "Coughing Thunder"

[Cultivation]: Outer Scenery [Retained] - Lower Beast

[Techniques]: "Three Lights Purifying Tribulation Curse" "Light-Devouring Method" "Turbidity-Linking Method" "Myriad Transformations at Will Register" "Purple Firmament Thunder-Script Treasure Register" "Thunder Escape Sword Art"

Li Fuchan came back to his senses from the vision of his death.

There was not a moment to lose. The Three Lights stirred at once, and his Yang Vessel had already burst out of Black Mountain. Squeezing its very foundations dry, he fled in frantic haste.

Hua Hong merely watched coldly as Huaqing groped about the stone walls, trying to locate Li Fuchan's true body. He did not speak up to stop her, only watched quietly, curious whether she could actually find him. It would not be too late to act then.

Just then, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept up.

Huaqing jerked her head up as an enormous shadow passed over her face. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she involuntarily cried out, "This is..."

Hua Hong had already risen, cursing, "He had nothing left but a single Yang Vessel, yet he made utter fools of us!"

For all his curses, his feet behaved themselves. He did not give chase.

Those three brilliant lights were simply far too powerful. Heaven knew how Li Fuchan had cultivated the Three Lights to such a degree in so little time; they were even stronger than when Hua Hong had seen them a few days earlier. Hua Hong glanced at Huaqing, who still stood frozen in place, and hesitated briefly, but did not seize the chance to kill her.

This vile woman may be cunning, but fortunately, we're both gravely wounded. We can support each other and weather the coming days. Once I find an opportunity to heal, it won't be too late to kill and devour her.

Having made up his mind, he reached out to pat the motionless Huaqing, saying soothingly, "He's only a Lower Beast. With injuries that severe, we'll have a chance to kill him sooner or later."

His hand had only just touched Huaqing's body when her entire form collapsed into a wisp of earthen qi and abruptly dispersed.

Hua Hong's slit pupils suddenly widened into circles. Shock and fury mingled within him. "Vile woman!"

Hua Hong's furious shout carried faintly from the mountain behind her, but Huaqing fled faster still, sneering all the while. "Li Fuchan is a cautious, suspicious viper. If even he fled without caring that he exposed his grievously wounded foundation, he must have sensed some terrible danger here. That fool Hua Hong has brute strength and no brains. Take your time, then, and cover my retreat."

Without pausing for even a moment, she pursued the brilliant streak of light left by Li Fuchan.

Li Fuchan sped onward. Apart from retrieving the Resurrection Clam from a river along the way, as his death vision had revealed, he dared not stop for an instant. Wherever he passed, Illuminating Light blazed brightly, constantly shining over everything, while he flew close to the water, terrified of falling prey to someone's schemes.

He fled in this fashion for more than three months without stopping. Even his Yang Vessel had begun to shrivel when he finally heard the sound of ocean waves, and his heart eased despite himself.

I've reached the open sea. I'm safe for now. But this flight has squeezed out every last drop of the Blood Qi and yang essence I worked so hard to devour. My foundations have already been damaged. I must hide inside the Resurrection Clam at once to recuperate and replenish my flesh and blood.

He immediately found a deserted island. Only after inspecting it with Illuminating Light and confirming that it was safe did he flee into its depths, plunge into the Resurrection Clam, and lose consciousness.

Li Fuchan had squeezed his foundations dry to flee, with golden light and treasure light bolstering him. Huaqing naturally could not match him, and lost his trail partway through the pursuit.

Fortunately, the indications revealed by Illuminating Light allowed her to surmise that he had fled out to sea.

What exactly did he sense?

Huaqing gritted her teeth, but still did not stop. Concealing her tracks as she traveled, she avoided immortal cultivators and Monsters alike and headed out to sea.

Hua Hong, meanwhile, pursued Huaqing's trail closely. An obscure, inexplicable connection had always existed between the two serpents, but as the distance between them widened, Hua Hong finally stopped beside a great river, his face livid.

"That vile woman! Just because her root bone is somewhat stronger than mine, she dared flee this far despite her damaged foundations. She truly deserves death!"

He gazed at the rivers, lakes, and seas ahead, sensing the faint demonic qi seeping from the water. In the end, he dared neither pursue her farther nor retrace his steps, afraid some bald monk would casually kill him in the name of subduing demons and vanquishing evil.

He was Monster-Born. He had neither the comprehension and Wisdom Light of humankind nor the long lifespan and innate means of self-protection that Monsters possessed. Both kinds despised him.

When I passed a great mountain earlier, I heard a dog demon mention that the Mountain Lord would soon unleash a Beast tide to nourish the beasts. It seemed to be called Zongshe Mountain or something. If so, that Mountain Lord surely isn't a vicious sort. I still have some treasures and pills left behind by the Old Flood Dragon. Perhaps I can take this opportunity to offer them up, cater to his tastes, and seek his protection. My path to survival lies there.

Hua Hong did not hesitate long. Once his mind was made up, he set off for Zongshedu Mountain.

Half a year later, Li Fuchan slowly awoke.

Only then did he turn his attention to the line of pitch-black ancient seal script deep within his consciousness.

My Treasure Light is now perfectly integrated, and my dharma nature is clear and still. I haven't forgotten any of the techniques I cultivated. Choosing techniques again would merely spare me some of the cultivation process and grant a little more insight. There's really no need. This choice will become increasingly useless to me in the future. I wonder whether it will change later on.

Since his realm had not increased in the death vision, there was no need to choose cultivation. Instead, he turned his attention to the magic treasure entry.

In the last death vision, I forged this Flying Sword using the Golden Duke as its main material. It was meant to complement Golden Light and let me kill in an instant, so its strengths lay solely in agility and insidious lethality. But it was incompatible with the Thunder Escape Sword Art in many respects, leaving that sword art unable to display its might. I ought to study it more closely this time... I'll pass on Coughing Thunder.

After turning it over in his mind, he finally settled on consciousness.

Li Fuchan could not help sinking into contemplation.

Originally, I thought consciousness was merely a clearer set of memories, along with a corpse I might inherit. Looking at it now, that is certainly not all it is. Most likely, this is something that can increase Dao Attainment.

The importance of Dao Attainment went without saying. It was the sum of magical power, realm, comprehension, wisdom of the Dao, knowledge, and one's understanding of life and the Dao. Ordinary people could not even distinguish whether what they had learned was true or false. How difficult, then, was it to increase their Dao Attainment?

In insidious malice, cunning, and cruelty, Li Fuchan considered himself just barely first-rate. But when it came to Dao Attainment, he probably amounted to no more than an inferior beast.

Otherwise, he would not have failed to understand even a few words from Sangha Deva, much less been unable to comprehend the existence of a Wisdom King and just how powerful one was.

Only with sufficient knowledge and experience does one earn the right to walk the world. Otherwise, one can only become a pawn, or even an inferior beast in the eyes of higher cultivators.

Li Fuchan chose Dao Attainment without hesitation.

Without warning, an exceedingly tiny glimmer of gold-red lightning flashed through his eyes.

Only after a long while did Li Fuchan suppress this strange manifestation. Shock still lingered in his gray-black pupils. "Li Thunder actually glanced at me?!"

Li Thunder had been lonely for a very long time. Li Fuchan, with cultivation at the very lowest rank of Outer Scenery, had hissed at a mighty Wisdom King, utterly fearless of death. Thus, Li Thunder had turned its gaze toward him. With this share of Dao Attainment in his possession, any cultivation of Thunder Arts from this point onward would surely yield twice the results for half the effort.

What utterly baffled Li Fuchan, however, was why Li Thunder had judged an exalted Wisdom King to be an Evil Spirit.

Choosing consciousness did not immediately grant him vast Dao Attainment and make him a sage on the spot. It merely took all the cultivation insights he had gained in the death vision, as well as his understanding of particular things or paths, sifted out the dross, and made the essence his own.

Even so, this was an achievement an ordinary person could not fully accomplish in three lifetimes.

Had anyone been able to see it, Li Fuchan's Wisdom Light now extended far beyond three inches.

His consciousness gazed into the depths of his mind. Dozens of death visions lay amid the chaos, while three visions displayed his present state.

With so many death visions, if twelve or more light up at once, I won't even have a chance to work through them. I'll probably die on the spot. But these three visions remain unchanged. It seems my last death during the Wisdom King's Return North wasn't the death tribulation I was originally supposed to undergo.

Li Fuchan's expression remained unchanged. Those visions did not fill him with sorrow.

As his Wisdom Light grew, he vaguely gained some insight into these death visions.

Perhaps I'll have a chance to contemplate the true nature of these death visions.

Li Fuchan set these thoughts aside for the moment and focused on devouring the yang essence within the Resurrection Clam.

He had a premonition that rebuilding his flesh this time would be unexpectedly quick.

Thank you all for your support. I read every comment, including those pointing out gaps in my common knowledge and incorrect wording, as well as the many messages of encouragement. They have all helped me immensely. Although I didn't reply, I made the corrections right away.

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