However, Han Xuanji was undergoing Tribulation Transcendence, so he did not think much of it.
Two immortal swords circled to either side of him, a phantom image of a Heavenly Devil appeared behind him, and the Black Tortoise Shield protected him from above.
Suddenly.
A streak of white light flashed through the void, tearing through the shadows. Bearing overwhelming Sha Qi and the sharpness of Geng Metal Qi, it swooped down on the seated Han Xuanji like a falling star, striking at the instant when the ninth tribulation lightning was about to fall and the pressure of heaven and earth was at its most chaotic!
It was a great white tiger demon, magnificent in form, its coat as white as the purest snow yet gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. Every strand of fur seemed to contain incomparably sharp Geng Metal Qi.
Its four paws treaded through the air, cold light flickering at the tips of its claws as though they could tear space apart with ease!
At that moment, its amber slitted eyes were cold and merciless, fixed firmly on Han Xuanji.
Human Race cultivators hunted me all along the way. I have to get my revenge too!
The white tiger thought to itself.
It had come to Youzhou in search of a fortuitous opportunity, but after accidentally revealing its tracks, it had been attacked repeatedly, leaving it furious.
After all, it had never done a bad thing since birth, yet people had hunted it for no reason. Did they really think it had no temper?
This time, it would take its revenge and make its name feared!
"Don't blame me!!"
Swift as lightning and wreathed in Geng Metal Qi that tore through everything, the white tiger lunged straight for the spot behind Han Xuanji's heart!
Had it been any other Spirit Transformation cultivator undergoing Tribulation Transcendence, there would have been no surviving this sneak attack from a tiger demon bearing the bloodline of a divine beast from High Antiquity!
However, the target of its sneak attack was Han Xuanji.
He possessed the Void-Penetrating Divine Eye and had already seen through it.
Once he discovered the tiger demon, he understood why his divination had shown no danger.
It simply could not threaten him; there was a scare, but no danger.
The instant the tiger demon pounced,
Han Xuanji moved.
Without looking back, he merely extended his right hand, formed a seal, and unleashed it.
Myriad Tribulations Seal: Twilight Seal.
What flowed from Han Xuanji's fingertips was not destructive energy, but a strange, nearly transparent ripple bearing a gray, withered air like the dust of passing years.
The instant the lightning-fast white tiger touched the ripple, it was as though it had plunged into an invisible mire. Its speed plummeted!
All the trajectories of its attacks were forcibly deflected and drawn out by a profoundly mysterious force.
This force was exceedingly mysterious, far beyond what an ordinary Law Technique could accomplish. Only the power of a Divine Ability could do it.
Then Han Xuanji also sensed the terrifying Heavenly Baleful lightning above his head.
He knew full well that he could not withstand this tribulation lightning with his fleshly body, and that it was best not to use his own natal Law Treasure to withstand it either. Once Sha Qi entered a Law Treasure, it would most likely have serious consequences.
At the same time, Han Xuanji extended his index finger and gently beckoned toward the ninth tribulation lightning about to strike from above.
"Come... go!"
Boom-!!!
With the power of that single finger, he forcibly drew the terrifying tribulation lightning, filled with Heavenly Baleful power, away from its original course. Like a tamed, raging dragon, it roared... and crashed toward the slowed white tiger Demon Beast!
"Roar??!!!"
The white tiger Demon Beast's cold amber slitted eyes filled with boundless terror and disbelief in an instant!
It could not fathom how the Human Race before it had managed such a thing in so short a time.
The man had actually made it undergo Tribulation Transcendence in his place!
Han Xuanji merely watched the scene with a smile.
Originally, even he would have had to put in some effort to get through this Heavenly Baleful tribulation lightning. He had not expected this demon tiger to suddenly jump out.
Heaven was truly helping him.
After all, Han Xuanji was a cultivator well versed in the Dao of lightning and had many ways to deal with tribulation lightning.
This move of "diverting disaster eastward" was undoubtedly a marvelous one.
Normally, what great fool would run in while someone was undergoing Tribulation Transcendence?
The heavenly tribulation would not care about such things. It would simply regard you as the helper of someone undergoing Tribulation Transcendence, not think you were anything good.
"Roar!"
The white tiger Demon Beast let out a furious roar.
This was the final strike of a Void Return Heavenly Tribulation. It wanted to flee, but the speed it prided itself on had slowed, and even its thoughts seemed half a beat behind.
Rumble!!!
The pillar of lightning completely engulfed the white tiger Demon Beast's enormous body!
Dazzling lightning flooded the entire valley. Destructive energy raged wildly, gouging bottomless trenches into the ground and melting the surrounding black rocks like wax!
Within the lightning, the white tiger's indistinct silhouette could be seen roaring in agony and struggling.
An unknown amount of time passed.
A massive, charred crater had appeared where it had stood.
At the bottom lay a tiger demon, its once snow-white fur charred black and curled, its flesh torn open in many places, and its breath barely lingering.
Its body had shrunk considerably, however. Compared to its previous form, which had been like a giant elephant, it was now not much bigger than an ordinary tiger.
At that moment, its eyes were filled with relief at having survived the calamity.
Had its demon body not been so tough, a more ordinary Void Return Realm cultivator in its place would already have had their soul scattered under the tribulation lightning.
Even so, its current condition was far from promising. The tribulation lightning had already been terrifying beyond measure, far exceeding the power normally faced by a Spirit Transformation cultivator making a breakthrough. On top of that, the heavenly tribulation might have considered it an interloper, causing its power to increase further.
It had paid a terrible price to survive.
At that moment, the tribulation clouds in the sky began to disperse. Strands of seven-colored radiance, filled with pure vitality, pierced the clouds and fell like nourishing rain, enveloping Han Xuanji.
Void Return Realm, achieved!
Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, his presence underwent a qualitative leap!
As his fleshly body bathed in the seven-colored radiance, Han Xuanji could feel a transformation within him, as though he were shedding his mortal body and replacing his bones.
His Primordial Spirit merged with heaven and earth. With a single thought, he could draw upon the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within a hundred li for his own use. His perception and control of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had reached an entirely new level!
Upon reaching the Void Return Realm, a cultivator's Primordial Spirit underwent a transformation, making it easier to comprehend the truths of heaven and earth. This was also why the differences in strength grew ever greater at the later stages of cultivation.
It's said that some great powers can leave a strand of divine sense on their descendants. When those descendants encounter danger, they can call upon a god to possess them... With my current cultivation, I probably can't do that yet.
Han Xuanji was lost in thought.
Every breakthrough to a new realm in immortal cultivation brought enormous progress.
Although Void Return Realm cultivators could not do that, if they were willing to pay the price, they could divide their Primordial Spirit and refine an incarnation.
Han Xuanji, however, was unwilling to refine an incarnation, because it would affect his cultivation speed. There was also a chance the incarnation would turn on the original body. In history, there had been cases where a cultivator's original body was gravely injured and left unconscious, while the incarnation became the true self instead. The more one thought about such a situation, the more terrifying it became.
After pondering for a moment, Han Xuanji finally turned around slowly and gazed calmly at the white tiger Demon Beast in the crater, its majestic bearing utterly gone as it trembled.
"Immortal master, spare my life!"
The white tiger spoke directly in human words.
This was nothing unusual.
Once Demon Race cultivators reached the Golden Core level, they could speak human language even without taking human form.
The only condition was that they had to learn the Human Race's language.
For a great demon like this white tiger, which was nearly at the Void Return Realm, learning the Human Race's language was naturally easy.