Lightning Tribulation

Thunderclouds rolled in, and several bolts of lightning shot straight toward the figure in the sky, the terrifying lightning seeming to flatten the mountaintop.

On the mountaintop where Su Liuyue's cave abode was located, two figures stood side by side. Shen Ge watched the falling lightning and his body trembled slightly. Even from this distance, he could feel a tingling sensation as if an electric current was running through his body.

"This is only the weakest of the Three-Nine Lesser Lightning Tribulation, how can its power be so great?"

Su Liuyue glanced at Shen Ge and said coldly, "That's because you're too weak. This level of tribulation is nothing to Master. I could even withstand one or two of them."

Forehead...

Sister, you'll have no friends if you're so blunt.

Shen Ge subtly brushed aside the topic, pretending not to hear it. Although he was a bit weak, he didn't want to admit it.

"Sister, how strong do you think Master will be after breaking through to the Nascent Soul? Will he be able to defeat the Sect Leader?" Shen Ge asked.

Su Liuyue her eyes at him and said irritably, "Do you think the gap in cultivation level is so easy to bridge? Fighting someone of a higher level depends on many factors. Your master and the sect leader cultivate similar Cultivation Method, and some of their Divine Ability are also quite similar. Do you think she can defeat the sect leader?"

Shen Ge smiled awkwardly. It seemed he really couldn't win; he felt he had asked a rather stupid question.

"However, with Master's talent, once she consolidates her cultivation for a period of time, she should have no problem fighting Nascent Soul Middle Stage, though the outcome is uncertain."

As the two were talking, the lightning bolt from before vanished without a trace, completely blocked by a flying sword.

The flying sword was simple, but it had a plum tree in full bloom engraved on its blade, and under the tree was a woman in purple clothes with black hair. Upon closer inspection, the woman was none other than Mo Qingyu.

She stood proudly beneath the plum blossom tree, exuding an air of arrogance and disdain for the world.

Soon, three more lightning bolts struck, this time even more powerful than the previous three. But Mo Qingyu showed no panic, calmly watching the falling lightning.

Without her making any move, the flying sword in the air instantly transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the three lightning tribulations. Although the lightning tribulations did not dissipate, their power was greatly reduced.

Mo Qingyu did not stop them, but instead let the three weakened lightning bolts fall on her. For a moment, her entire body was crackling with lightning, but soon the lightning was absorbed by the Nascent Soul within her body.

In the distance, Ziyang smiled and said softly, "It seems there's no suspense anymore; Qingyu Sister Qingyu's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul is already destined."

The old man beside him smiled with satisfaction, "Qingyu is the most talented and insightful among you all. Although her Dao heart may not be as firm as yours, she will go further than you in the future, and may even surpass me, her master."

"Now that she has broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, I can finally put my mind at ease. I will be going into seclusion to break through to the Nascent Soul Late Stage. Unless it is a matter of life and death for the sect, please do not disturb me."

"I am now over a thousand years old. If I continue to waste my time, I will truly only turn into bones."

Ziyang quickly said, "Master, what are you saying? How can Nascent Soul Late Stage stop you? You will definitely break through, and not only the Nascent Soul Late Stage, but the Spirit Severing Realm will also be no problem for you."

The old man chuckled, stroking his beard. "Ziyang, you've changed, haven't you? I remember you used to be quite dull. I didn't expect you to become so worldly-wise after becoming the sect leader. But I know my own limitations. My talent, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will likely only reach the Peak Nascent Soul. Breaking through to the Spirit Severing Realm will be difficult!"

"Throughout history, countless geniuses have been stuck at this stage, unable to attain the Great Dao and dying in despair. It's not something that can be easily overcome. As for Qingyu, she might be the most promising candidate to break through to the Spirit Severing Realm."

As she spoke, the last three lightning tribulations were absorbed by Mo Qingyu. At this moment, she exuded a terrifying pressure, and the invisible aura caused the void to ripple. Waves of energy spread outwards from the mountain peak.

Shen Ge's knees buckled; the sudden pressure almost made him kneel. If Su Liuyue hadn't pulled him up, he might have already been kneeling by now.

After regaining his footing, Shen Ge looked on with longing and sighed, "Is this the pressure of the Nascent Soul Realm? It's truly terrifying. I might be dead in the blink of an eye."

"It's normal to feel envious, and it's instinctive to admire the strong. Once you recover from your injuries, you'll have a chance to reach that level," Su Liuyue said softly.

Shen Ge's face fell, and she said with a hint of disappointment, "Sister, I don't know if anyone has ever told you, but you're really bad at conversation. Bringing up my pain at such an exciting moment is like rubbing salt into my wounds."

"Should I apologize to you?"

Su Liuyue's voice remained cold and indifferent, showing no trace of apology.

Shen Ge waved his hand and said, "Forget it, you've already rubbed salt in the wound, what's the point of saying all this?"

Su Liuyue glanced at him and said, "Let's go, we should go pay our respects to our master."

"Wait a minute, let me go and bring that rebellious disciple along. After all, she is her... well, Master. If she doesn't arrive immediately, that would really be unacceptable."

"Go find it yourself, I'm leaving now." With that, Su Liuyue flew away.

Shen Ge chuckled lightly, then leaped away on his flying sword.

Ziyang and the old man beside him both wore smiles. They took a step forward, their figures disappeared, and the next moment they appeared not far from Mo Qingyu.

"Qingyu Sister Qingyu, congratulations! After five hundred years, you've finally broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm."

Mo Qingyu withdrew her aura and stepped forward to greet her, saying, "Master, I didn't expect you to have emerged from seclusion."

"Girl, you've broken through to the Nascent Soul! How could I possibly stay in seclusion for such a momentous occasion? Of course, I had to come out and congratulate you."

"I only have three disciples. Your eldest brother broke through to the Nascent Soul many years ago, and that guy Fenghuo was crippled because of a woman. Only you are still someone I care about."

"Just thinking about Fenghuo makes me angry. He was a perfectly righteous disciple, yet he ended up with that vixen from the Hehuan Sect. In the end, she even drained his vital energy. If he weren't my disciple, I would have slapped him to death long ago."

"By the way, where's Fenghuo? I've been out of seclusion for so long and he still hasn't come to pay his respects!"

Seeing their master suddenly become furious, Ziyang and Mo Qingyu exchanged a glance and both remained silent.

Back then, Master treated his second disciple, Fenghuo, as his own son and had high expectations for him. But Fenghuo did something that really angered Master so much that he almost killed him with a single palm strike.

A figure flew in from the sky not far away, followed by more than a dozen people.

Fenghuo smiled wryly and said, "Master, please stop scolding me. Your rebellious disciple Fenghuo is here now."

After finding Su Sui at Divine Sword Peak, Shen Ge immediately pulled him towards the mountain where his master was. He had just seen that Golden Core Stage elders of the sect had already gone there, and it would be inexcusable for him, as a personal disciple, to arrive any later.

A short while later, Shen Ge led Su Sui into the main hall where their master was, instructing Su Sui as they walked. "This is your grandmaster. With all the elders and the sect leader present, be a little sweet-talking and you should be able to get some gifts."

Upon hearing this, Su Sui looked at Shen Ge with disdain, as if to say, "You're so shrewd."

Shen Ge frowned, displeased, and said, "Fine, whatever. I'm doing this out of kindness to help you out; if you don't care, then forget it."

Upon entering the main hall, the guest chairs on both sides were already full of people, all of whom were elders and protectors at the Golden Core Stage. Shen Ge immediately spotted his senior sister standing next to his master. He quickly bowed and said, "Disciple Shen Ge and his disciple respectfully congratulate Master on breaking through to the Nascent Soul. We apologize for not being able to arrive in time."

Su Sui was very direct, immediately kneeling down and kowtowing, saying, "Disciple Su Sui greets Grandmaster and all the elders."

Shen Ge's eyes twitched. Su Sui really knew how to seize opportunities. She not only kowtowed to Mo Qingyu, but also included the elders present. If their master rewarded them with something later, those elders would feel embarrassed if they didn't offer something in return.

What a cunning schemer! Judging from her expression just now, I thought she wouldn't stoop to doing something like this, but it turns out Shen Ge was wrong; this girl's ambitions are even greater than his.

Su Sui looked ahead with her pure and bright eyes, showing no sign of anything unusual, and appeared to be sincerely paying her respects.

Mo Qingyu stopped talking with her master and stared at Shen Ge. Her eyes slowly turned solemn and murderous, and a faint killing intent rose from her body.

Who did it?

Shen Ge knew she was asking about his injury, so he replied, "Master, don't worry about it, I'll take care of it."

"I'll ask you one more time, who did it!" Mo Qingyu's voice turned icy, and a slightly violent killing intent wafted through the hall, making all the elders and protectors present become serious.

Su Sui sensed something was off, so he quickly banged his head on the ground and pretended to be an ostrich, saying, "You can't see me, you can't see me."

"Junior sister, don't be angry."

With a wave of his hand, Ziyang's killing intent that had enveloped the hall vanished without a trace.

"We'll talk about Shen Ge later. Right now, he's bringing his disciple to pay respects to you. Are you going to make your grand-disciple kneel like this?"

Mo Qingyu stared at Shen Ge for a few moments, then nodded and said, "Su Sui, right? Get up first."

"This is a Sword Dao Talisman Treasure; take it to save your life."

A talisman folded into the shape of a small sword floated to Su Sui's feet. She accepted it with both hands and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Master."

"This is a five-hundred-year-old Blood Spirit Ginseng. Junior Nephew, take it to temper your body."

"This is..."

Before long, Su Sui was surrounded by a pile of things, since her head included all the elders.

Shen Ge's lips twitched. The total value of all these items exceeded ten thousand Spirit Stone; this was practically robbery.

Back when he first became an apprentice, he received a Cultivation Method. To be honest, Shen Ge was a little jealous.

After putting away the items, Su Sui kowtowed again, smiling, and said, "Thank you, Master, thank you, elders, and protectors."

The banquet lasted for three days, and even the inner disciple of the sect came to pay their respects. Shen Ge served as their attendant for three days, serving tea and water to the elders.

After the welcoming banquet, Mo Qingyu sat on a side seat, gazing at Shen Ge. Her senior sister Su Liuyue, stood behind Mo Qingyu, while Ziyang and her grandmaster, Xuanguang, were also looking at him.

Being watched by so many big shots, Shen Ge couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

After a long silence, Mo Qingyu and looked at her master, Xuanguang, asking, "Master, is there really no other way?"

Xuanguang pondered for a moment, then said, "I can't solve his problem; this injury is up to fate."

Mo Qingyu sighed softly and didn't say anything more. She knew that no one could heal Shen Ge's injury for the time being, and she only asked because she was a little unwilling to accept it.

Ziyang glanced at Mo Qingyu, then turned to Shen Ge and asked, "Shen Ge, do you have any plans to settle down and start a family?"

What does this mean?

For a moment, Shen Ge didn't understand why Ziyang was asking this. Did "settling down and starting a family" mean he should find a woman and build a career?

Could it be that my injury has caused the sect to give up on training me?

Thinking of this, Shen Ge felt anxious. Although he knew his injury was serious, he still felt that he should be able to save him and not give up so soon!

Unsure whether the sect leader was testing him or had already made a decision, Shen Ge braced himself and replied, "Um... Sect leader, I... I don't have any plans to settle down and start a family yet. After all, I've entered the Immortal Dao, and becoming an immortal is my lifelong pursuit. I don't want to give up like this."

Ziyang nodded, smiling slightly, "I didn't say I was going to give up on you, why are you so nervous?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Ge was overjoyed and said excitedly, "I thought the sect was going to kick me out!"

Mo Qingyu glanced at Ziyang, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said, "You are my disciple, who dares to kick you out! Don't have such thoughts again."

"Thank you, Master." Shen Ge bowed and said, surprised that his master, who seemed so aloof, was actually quite kind to his disciple.

Ziyang opened his mouth as if to say something, but after being glared at by Mo Qingyu, he could only give a wry smile and remain silent.

Xuanguang smiled kindly at Shen Ge. Seeing that his two disciples were having some disagreements, he asked, "Shen Ge, I think your soul age is about forty years old. You should consider what Ziyang just said."

"If your injuries cannot be healed, you will have at most 130 or 140 years left to live. Rather than ending up with a lonely grave, you would be better off going out to spread your lineage. Moreover, with your talent, it is very likely that your descendants will be highly Immortal Dao. Although you are not destined for immortality, your descendants are. They carry your bloodline, and the scenery they see in the end is the same scenery you see."

Shen Ge fell silent, unsure of what to say for a moment. Ancestor Xuanguang was right; if his injuries couldn't be healed, he would only have a hundred or so years left in this life. He had transmigrated here, and if he ended up with only a lonely grave and nothing left, it would be a complete waste of his time in this cultivation Immortal Realm.

It seems I really should leave something behind. Even if I die in the end, I won't have lived in vain. Besides living a long life, the most important thing is to live a fulfilling one.

Having made up his mind, Shen Ge looked up at the three people in front of him and said solemnly, "Sect Leader, give me fifty... no, twenty years. After I have mastered my skills, I will leave the sect and travel the world. I don't ask to bring any benefits to the sect, but at least I will be able to add a little bit of insignificant reputation to the sect."