A Minor Heavenly Tribulation
According to this True Person of Myriad Phenomena, he underwent four tribulations in total.
The first tribulation is the Fire Tribulation, specifically the Qianyang True Fire Tribulation. This fire is condensed from pure Yang Qi, specifically burning the Nascent Soul Primordial Spirit, not flesh or objects. The second tribulation is the Xun Earth Wind and Thunder, where a dim, yellow gale rises from the ground, with thousands of wind pillars swirling and extinguishing all living things. The third Heavenly Devil Tribulation is the Heavenly Demon Tribulation. Heavenly demons have no form or substance; they are not gods or demons, but rather the manifestations of one's own greed, anger, ignorance, love, and desires, generated by the Heavenly Tribulation. The final tribulation is the Divine Immortal Pill Tribulation, specifically prepared for the Myriad Phenomena Return to Origin Cauldron. All innate artifacts forged into immortal artifacts must undergo this tribulation.
The fellow cultivator who was collaborating with him during his tribulation couldn't withstand the third round. His Primordial Spirit was bewildered by the strange phenomena of the purification of heaven and earth, the reunion of loved ones, the annihilation of a great enemy, the Immortal Dynasty, and the blissful immortal abode. His primordial spirit dissipated on the spot.
As for itself, it survived to the final tribulation. During this tribulation, all the immortals who had used its body to refine pills were brought forth by the heavenly tribulation and forged into cauldrons using Thunder Method.
At that time, more than a hundred divine illusions were manifested. True Person of Myriad Phenomena was torn apart by one of the Pure Yang Immortals with Pure Yang Divine Thunder and fell into the cave.
Later, the True Person leader of the Mysterious Peak Sect entered the Earth's core to refine his magic. While manipulating the Earth Core Primordial Magnetism, he accidentally discovered it. In addition, it was an old acquaintance of the second-generation patriarch of the Mysterious Peak Sect. At the request of the disciples and grand-disciples of the Mysterious Peak Sect Yue Sect, it went along with the idea of moving its main body to the Mysterious Peak Sect and, incidentally, teaching the Fire Immortal the art of alchemy.
That's right, the second-generation patriarch of the Mysterious Peak Sect attained the divine rank of fire, not earth, and now serves in the Fire Department of the Heavenly Court.
According to the standards for cultivators from the lower realms to ascend to immortality, the "fire" immortal rank should be considered quite good. It is far superior to the Corpse Liberation Immortal or Ghost Immortal, and belongs to the top evolution of the Innate Five Elements.
"... However, your Mysterious Peak Sect transmits the Three Mountains Orthodox Method, which should originate from the Heavenly Warriors lineage of the Upper Realm. The first one to ascend was actually a fire elemental, which is quite laughable. Back when I was still in the Upper Realm, many people teased your ancestor about this. Fortunately, your current sect True Person cultivates the authentic Three Mountains and Five Peaks Method, and has already reached the point where he can manipulate and refine the Earth Core Primordial Magnetism. He should be close to ascension."
"What?! Our True Person leader is about to ascend to immortality?!"
This was the first time Hu Mang had heard this news, but given his status and position, it was impossible for anyone within the sect to proactively pass this information on to him.
True Person of Myriad Phenomena glanced at the other party and said:
"Your sect leader used the Mysterious Peak True Body to manipulate the Earth Core Primordial Magnetism precisely to prepare for the tribulation of lightning. This is what I told you before: even without cultivating the Daoist Yin and Yang Divine Arts, as long as you have the means to withstand the heavenly tribulation, you can still achieve your goal, Tribulation Breaking."
"You're a failed ascensionist, how dare you talk to me like that?" Hu Mang thought to himself.
However, he certainly wouldn't say something so reckless as to utter it aloud.
"I never expected this! My sect leader is actually going to ascend to immortality!"
After Hu Mang transmigrated to this world, he heard the legend of ascension more than once, but he never expected that there would be an ascension candidate in his own sect, which gave him a strange sense of familiarity.
"Alright, kid, when your sect leader will ascend, or whether he can ascend at all, is not up to you or me. You can't be of much help with that anyway. But I do have a small favor to ask of you."
The voice of the True Person of Myriad Phenomena was warm and authentic.
The other party didn't fall in love with Hu Mang at first sight, nor did they think Hu Mang was exceptionally talented in Pill Formula, which is why they revealed their secrets to Hu Mang.
The reason is actually not complicated. A damaged Innate Pill Furnace like his, especially one that was damaged by a heavenly tribulation, is extremely difficult to repair because innate objects are formed innately and cannot be forged by acquired means.
However, there is one thing that can mend the gap in its Pill Furnace: the "Fragment of Heavenly Dao".
What they were eyeing was none other than the "Grave Transformation Heavenly Dao" on Earth Star.
If the Small Chiliocosm in the Hu Mang's "memory" is real, then the fragment of the Heavenly Dao is also real. In that case, the fragment of the Heavenly Dao can repair the damage to the Myriad Phenomena Return to Origin Cauldron.
Although, according to the other party, if it really is a fragment of the Heavenly Dao from the Upper Realm, it would be more harmful than beneficial to the Small Chiliocosm, and it would be a meritorious deed for him to remove the fragment for this world, Hu Mang was unwilling to bring two aliens, or even alien immortals, to the Heavenly Gate for free because of him!
In particular, many of these immortal explorers come from the demonic path. Because of their cultivation of Devil Cultivation Method and magic, they can easily become acquainted with Extraterrestrial Heavenly Devil and thus learn more about native planets and Small Chiliocosm.
Hu Mang was considering how to politely refuse the other party.
Although he only knew a little about the situation related to the Upper Realm, his instinctive path of humanistic revolution taken by the Awakening Heavenly Gate actually conflicted with the evolution of the Heavenly Dao in the Upper Realm.
However, this idea cannot be expressed directly. If the other party is rejected, and then goes berserk and uses some kind of soul-stealing technique, wouldn't that be the end of us?
Hu Mang pondered for a moment and said, "Senior's idea is quite good, and I agree with it. However, I have a small question."
"Speak!" True Person of Myriad Phenomena perked up.
"According to your plan, senior, we need to contact the immortals exploring other Small Chiliocosm, search for the Small Chiliocosm in my memory in the vast universe, and retrieve the fragments of the Heavenly Dao. Do you think I can live long enough to make that round trip?"
True Person of Myriad Phenomena was taken aback. He was a primordial treasure and had long since stopped worrying about lifespan. However, given the other party's cultivation level of not yet perfecting the Three Flowers and Five Qi, if several hundred years passed in this round trip, the "Small Chiliocosm" might not be found yet, and this disciple in front of him might die of old age.
"And—" Hu Mang paused, then continued:
"It's not that I have any prejudice against the demonic path, but according to you, senior, this fragment of the Heavenly Dao is an extremely precious treasure even in the Upper Realm. Even if everything goes smoothly, would the demonic immortal who dug up the fragment of the Heavenly Dao be willing to give up such a treasure to repair your body?"
"They've already joined the demonic path; if they still keep their word, then they've wasted their time in the demonic path."
True Person of Myriad Phenomena was taken aback again. He was a spirit born from Pill Furnace, and his mind was naturally simple. In addition, due to the special function of this Pill Furnace, no matter what level of immortal he was, they would say a few nice words to him and give him some immortal herbs and spirit medicine. Over time, he subconsciously believed that as long as he gave the instructions properly, the matter would definitely be accomplished.
But he wasn't stupid. He suddenly realized that, not to mention the preciousness of the Heavenly Dao fragments, he himself was no longer the same as before. His original body had been destroyed, and the highest-level pills he could refine now were only Innate Pill. For those immortals who possessed "divine status," pills of this level were far from sufficient and could not help them advance their cultivation.
In this situation, it's hard to say how much face one still has left.
"What you say isn't without merit. Even if everything goes smoothly under these circumstances, this fragment of the Heavenly Dao most likely won't fall into my hands."
True Person of Myriad Phenomena plopped down on a rock by the cold pool, looking somewhat dejected.
Seeing this, Hu Mang quickly pressed his advantage, "Actually, if it's about restoring the Pill Furnace to its original state, I'm not without methods. Perhaps you could even advance to a higher level as a result."
True Person of Myriad Phenomena snapped out of his daze and looked at Hu Mang with disdain. Although he didn't speak, his expression was quite clear: You!?
Hu Mang wasn't angry. Instead, he silently took out a scroll from his Storage Bag that was neither gold nor jade, but had an ancient and simple shape.
True Person of Myriad Phenomena glanced at it and was slightly taken aback; the text on the scroll was actually "Jade Office Immortal Script".
Isn't this the kind of font used by immortals? How did this kid get it?
What is this?
This item is called the "Heavenly Tribulation Register".
True Person of Myriad Phenomena never expected that a mere disciple who hadn't even reached the Three Flowers and Five Qi would produce such a precious treasure, nor did he expect that the other party would make a suggestion that even made his heart flutter.
"... So you mean, you want me to use this treasure to overcome another heavenly tribulation?"
This Heavenly Tribulation Register was a method used by the Heavenly Tribulation Imperial Dynasty to manipulate cultivators who had reached the pinnacle of their cultivation.
If you disobey, I will adjust the intensity of your heavenly tribulation to the highest level. No matter what divine skills Immortal Method you have cultivated, I will still strike you to death.
However, with the fall of the Heavenly Tribulation Imperial Dynasty, this item also disappeared.
Without the support of the Thunder Ministry's authority from the Heavenly Tribulation Imperial Dynasty, the power of this treasure is certainly not as great as it was back then.
But the wonder of this thing is that once a name is written into the register, it will inevitably suffer a calamity.
Although this heavenly tribulation is not enough to allow cultivators in the lower realms to ascend to immortality, the transformative changes it brings are real.
The Myriad True Person of Myriad Phenomena can use the evolution of the Heavenly Dao that comes after his tribulation to repair himself.
The more the Artifact Spirit thought about it, the better it seemed. If it were to undergo another genuine heavenly tribulation, it estimated that it would be doomed.
However, the minor heavenly tribulations brought by this Heavenly Tribulation Register are just right for my current situation.
"Wonderful! Ever since the Northern Polar Tribulation Controlling Heavenly Venerable of Ten Thousand Thunders perished in this realm, the authority of the Thunder Ministry in this upper realm has been vacant. Heavenly punishments are unsupervised and operate autonomously. As long as the operation is correct, there is no need to worry about being held accountable for creating a small heavenly tribulation. After all, this is the genuine authority of the Thunder Ministry."
The more True Person of Myriad Phenomena thought about it, the brighter his eyes became.
"The Celestial Venerable of Ten Thousand Thunders Who Controls Calamity in the North Pole? Whose title is that?" Hu Mang asked.
"Oh, don't you know? He was reincarnated into your Azure Mysterious Realm, becoming the Jade Emperor, founding the Jade Firmament Imperial Dynasty, and guiding the Investiture of the Investiture of the Gods War in this realm. Unfortunately, he was suppressed twice by that Upper Pure One Dao Venerable of this realm..."
True Person of Myriad Phenomena casually remarked, but suddenly his expression changed, becoming serious for the first time.
"This matter is not something a junior like you could possibly know. You may have this treasure, but if you were to become entangled in the karma of the Heavenly Tribulation Imperial Dynasty, even if you haven't achieved your cultivation, you would face certain death!"