At the summit of Thunder Tribulation Mountain in the Shikkotsu Forest, all was deathly silent. This was once the place where Tsubasa Tribulation Transcendence, but now only a desolate wasteland remained. The mountaintop had been cleaved down considerably, barren of vegetation, and covered with scorched earth resembling glass, bearing the marks of the lightning's ravages.
Beneath this scorched earth, resembling glass, an infant opened his eyes. He was enveloped in layers of crystal, like glass itself, as if he were a divine being born of heaven and earth. This infant was none other than Tianyi, who had been Tsubasa after Tribulation Transcendence and growing a new body.
Tsubasa let out a soft sigh, feeling his entire body brimming with power. The Perfect Sage Body was indeed powerful! If it weren't for this Perfect Sage Body and the Golden Core that had reforged his physical body, he would have only been a ghost cultivator even after successfully Tribulation Transcendence. He thought of the Sage of Six Paths; could that guy be a ghost cultivator? Staying in the Pure Land for a thousand years in the form of a soul was impressive, but it always felt like something was missing.
Tsubasa shuddered as he recalled the tribulation he suffered when breaking through to the Golden Core Realm five years ago. That was no ordinary Golden Core tribulation; it felt as if the entire world was trying to drive him away and destroy him. Even his Perfect Sage Body couldn't withstand a single bolt of lightning. You see, now, even if he were struck by the Kusanagi Sword, he wouldn't be harmed in the slightest. But that tribulation almost turned him to ashes.
"Could it be the will of this world driving away and annihilating my soul from another world?" Tsubasa pondered. "Could there really be such a thing as the World Will?" He shook his head, deciding to stop thinking about it. Now that he was alive again, he should think about what to do next. If he encountered such a tribulation again, he might really be killed completely. He needed to find a way to deal with it.
He had no idea how much time had passed since his Tribulation Transcendence, and now he was an infant. How could he face his wife and children? Tsubasa was filled with worry. However, he quickly adjusted his mindset and decided to go to the cave first, hoping to find something useful. He remembered that all his belongings had been destroyed by the lightning tribulation, even his spatial ring was gone. Most regrettably, the three pills made from the inner core of the Katsuyu Sage Inner Core also destroyed. Now, only the five pills in the cave remained, which might be of some help.
Tsubasa used Earth Release Technique to reach the mountain peak. The sight there made him frown. The entire mountain peak had been ravaged by lightning, with scorched earth resembling glass everywhere, and even the rocks had been shattered into fragments. He carefully searched through the ruins, hoping to find something useful.
"This lightning tribulation is terrifying! All my equipment and belongings have been destroyed!" Tsubasa muttered involuntarily. He recalled the nine unusual lightning tribulations five years ago, which terrified him. He could barely withstand the first lightning tribulation, but the subsequent tribulations became stronger and stronger. In the end, he had almost no strength left to resist and could only survive by relying on his Golden Core and the formation to rebuild his physical body.
"The power of the Perfect Sage Body is indeed formidable, worthy of being the Kekkei Genkai of the Senju Clan!" Tsubasa exclaimed. It took him a full five years to use the power of the Perfect Sage Body and the power of his Golden Core to rebuild his body, which had been charred by the lightning tribulation. He spent those five years in agony. His body gradually recovered, from charred remains to a solid body, every step filled with hardship.
"These past five years have been a race against Death God," Tsubasa thought to himself. Every day, he diligently circulated the power of his Golden Core core, trying to help his body recover faster. He knew he couldn't give up, because he still had a wife and children waiting for him.
Now, he has finally come back to life. Although he has become an infant, his strength is extraordinary. After swallowing a Golden Core pill, he is now in his own hands, no longer subject to the heavens. His former self before the Tribulation Transcendence is like an ant in front of his current self. He decides to go to the cave first to find something useful.
Tsubasa gently closed his eyes and released his senses. A familiar yet strange feeling instantly surged into his heart. The once lifeless Shikkotsu Forest was now full of life. Birds, beasts, and insects were everywhere, and he could even sense the presence of hundreds of humans. This filled him with immense surprise and relief.
"I wonder how much time has passed?" Tsubasa muttered to himself. " The Shikkotsu Forest has become so vibrant?" He could sense familiar presences, including those of his wife, Tian Yueqing, his daughter Tian Yu, and several other familiar people like Kaidō Senju. This warmed his heart and filled him with anticipation.
" Yueqing, Tian Yu, and everyone else... are they all alright!" Tsubasa was incredibly excited. He missed them, missed this family, missed the days they had spent together. He couldn't help but quicken his pace, rushing towards the scent of Tian Yueqing.
When Tsubasa arrived at the cave, his heart was pounding. This was where he used to cultivate, but now it felt somewhat unfamiliar. He quietly opened the seal on the cave and cautiously Earth Flow inside. The cave was quiet, with only Tian Yueqing's aura flowing slowly within.
Tsubasa saw Tian Yueqing cultivating in the cave, combining the sealing formation with her aura. Her aura was steady and powerful, clearly indicating that she had reached a new realm. Tsubasa did not disturb her, but instead took a look around the cave. He found that nothing had changed in the cave, except that the pills and items were gone, probably put away by Tian Yueqing.
"It seems Yueqing has been waiting for me here all along," Tsubasa thought to himself, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
"Hey, Yueqing, it's me," Tsubasa said softly.
Tian Yueqing slowly opened her eyes and saw a naked little boy wandering around the cave. She was stunned for a moment and asked with some confusion, "Kid, who are you? What are you doing here?"
Tsubasa flew over, sat down in front of her, and said earnestly, " Yueqing, I am Tsubasa! I failed my Tribulation Transcendence, and my body was struck by lightning and destroyed. This body is one I have spent five years rebuilding."
Upon hearing this, Tian Yueqing's eyes widened in disbelief. "What did you say? You're Tsubasa?"
Tsubasa nodded. "That's right, it was me. I had an accident during my Tribulation Transcendence, and my body was struck by lightning and turned into charred remains. However, relying on the power of my Perfect Sage Body, it took me five years to rebuild this body."
Tian Yueqing still couldn't quite believe it. She picked up Tsubasa and hugged him tightly, her eyes filled with doubt and worry. "Are you really Tsubasa? How can you prove that you are him?"
Tsubasa smiled and began answering her various questions. He knew he had to convince her, so he answered fluently, " Yueqing, I still remember the days we cultivated in the Setsuna Splendor Space of the Land of Whirlpools, and our child Tian Yu, is the Katsuyu Sage. And also..."
As Tian Yueqing listened, her eyes gradually reddened. She could sense Tsubasa's tone, his voice, and the things only they knew. She finally believed that this childlike man was truly her husband.
" Tsubasa... it really is you!" Tian Yueqing hugged Tsubasa, tears streaming down her face. She cried uncontrollably, as if she wanted to cry out all the longing and worry of the past five years.
" Yueqing, I'm back." Tsubasa's eyes also welled up with tears. "I missed you all so much, I missed this family so much."
Tian Yueqing held him tightly, as if afraid he would disappear again. "I thought you would never come back, I thought you were dead. For the past five years, I've waited for you and searched for you every day, I've thought about you every day. I was afraid I would never see you again, afraid you would never come back."
Tsubasa gently patted her back, comforting her, "I know, I know. I missed you all so much, I longed to come back to this home. All these years, I've been working hard to recover my strength in the Shikkotsu Forest, hoping to return every day. Now, I'm finally back, and I will never leave you again."
Tian Yueqing looked up at Tsubasa's baby face, her heart filled with heartache. "Is your body working very hard?"
Tsubasa shook his head and gave a bright smile, "It's not hard at all. As long as I can be back by your side, no amount of hardship is too much."
Tian Yueqing hugged Tsubasa and couldn't help but cry again. The weight in her heart finally lifted; her husband, the person she had been waiting for, had finally returned. She knew that her family was whole again.
" Tsubasa, you can't scare me like that again," Tian Yueqing said, her voice choked with emotion.
Tsubasa nodded and said earnestly, "I promise I will never leave you again. I will always be with you and protect you."
Tian Yueqing looked at Tsubasa, her heart filled with warmth and happiness. She knew that her husband, who was like a little kid, would definitely keep his word. She hugged him, feeling the warmth of his body, as if she wanted to make up for the longing of the past five years.
" Tsubasa, you're back, that's wonderful," Tian Yueqing murmured, tears still streaming down her face. The cave was filled with a warm and cozy atmosphere.