Chapter 291: The Tribulation of Transformation

Chapter 291: The Tribulation of Transformation

Chu Ning had never ventured to the outer sea of the Boundless Sea before.

Unlike the central and inner sea regions, the seawater here was no longer blue but instead, a shade closer to the endless sea's black. The spiritual energy here was also more chaotic.

If one could still barely manage to cultivate in the Central Sea, then spending a year or half a year in this Outer Sea would undoubtedly have a significant impact on one's magical powers, not to mention attempting to cultivate here.

Fortunately, despite the chaos, there was still spiritual energy to be found.

Following Kong Yifeng, the group flew for quite some time before arriving at an island hundreds of li in size.

"Oh? There are quite a few spiritual plants with Metal-Gold Qi here!"

As soon as he entered the island, Chu Ning's eyes flickered.

With just a sweep of his spiritual sense, he had found two or three types of spiritual plants that possessed Metal-Gold Qi.

Before Chu Ning could further sense their properties, Kong Yifeng spoke up with a serious expression, "Fellow Daoists, the Golden-Silver Bird nests on this island and is currently entering a deep slumber. I will set up an array here. Then, I will lure the bird into the array's range. Once it enters, everyone must drive the flags with all your might. Remember, do not hold back, or else if this bird breaks through the array, we will be in trouble!"

After his reminder, Kong Yifeng began setting up the array.

Taking advantage of this time, Chu Ning walked over to the nearby spiritual plants that he had sensed earlier and dug them out. He placed them into a jade box and kept them safe.

The others naturally saw Chu Ning's actions, but they didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

It was only natural for cultivators to pluck suitable spiritual herbs when they saw them.

At this moment, everyone's attention was mostly focused on Kong Yifeng.

They saw him take out a huge, gray-black array plate from his storage bag, its surface engraved with complex talismans.

Because they were quite close, everyone could feel the mighty thunder power emanating from the large array plate.

This item was obviously a specially refined treasure.

Kong Yifeng placed the array plate in the center position.

Then, he began to insert various array flags into different areas. These flags were slightly smaller than the ones given to Chu Ning and the others.

After planting forty-nine array flags around the perimeter, Kong Yifeng sat in the middle of the array plate and carefully sensed for a long time.

Only after confirming that there were no problems with the array he had set up did he get up.

He instructed Chu Ning and the others to hide their figures with the help of the array, then repeatedly reminded everyone before flying towards the center of the island.

After Kong Yifeng left, a surprised look flashed in Chu Ning's eyes.

The Golden-Silver Bird was a peak seventh-stage demon beast. How could it be completely unaware that so many people had entered its territory?

Kong Yifeng had also mentioned that it was in a deep slumber.

However, even during normal sleep, it shouldn't be completely oblivious to its surroundings.

"Could this Golden-Silver Bird be injured? Or..."

At this moment, Chu Ning suddenly thought of a possibility.

He had seen this situation before with Ling Xiaobai and Jin Leidiao, his own tamed beasts.

That was—advancing to the next stage! As this thought occurred to him, Chu Ning's eyes turned grave.

This demon beast had already reached the peak of the seventh stage. If it advanced again, wouldn't it become an eighth-stage demon beast comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator?

"Does Kong Yifeng know about this? Does Chang Ling Shan know as well?"

Chu Ning's eyes flickered.

Just as he was about to talk to Chang Ling Shan and probe him a little, a loud cry rang out in the center of the island.

The next moment, Chu Ning felt two powerful auras rapidly approaching him.

The aura in front belonged to Kong Yifeng, and what surprised Chu Ning was that Kong Yifeng's aura at this moment was even stronger than before.

The aura behind him, however, belonged to a demon beast, and its might surpassed Kong Yifeng's.

What slightly reassured Chu Ning was that although this demon beast's aura was shocking, it was still at the peak of the seventh stage and had not reached the eighth stage.

One man and one beast quickly flew towards them.

In just a short while, they entered Chu Ning's line of sight.

Kong Yifeng's face was grave, and right behind him was a huge bird-shaped demon beast, about three zhang in size.

The feathers on this bird's body were golden, shimmering dazzlingly under the sunlight.

However, the feathers on its wings were silver-white, and as it rapidly flew, they resembled a silver bolt of lightning, too dazzling to look at directly.

At this moment, the man and beast were only about ten zhang apart.

Anger flashed in the Golden-Silver Bird's eyes, and its massive wings flapped violently, bringing with them the might of thunder as it pounced towards Kong Yifeng.

Kong Yifeng's face changed, and he immediately accelerated forward, luring the Golden-Silver Bird into the array.

He roared, "Activate the array!"

Hearing Kong Yifeng's command, Chu Ning and the others immediately channeled their magic power into the array flags.

As the array was fully activated, a huge light barrier formed around them, trapping the Golden-Silver Bird inside.

At this moment, Kong Yifeng held a small, black-gray round plate similar to the central array plate in his hand.

Holding the black-gray round plate, Kong Yifeng flew up and disappeared in a flash beyond the light barrier.

The Golden-Silver Bird closely pursued, but it was blocked by the light barrier and bounced back.

Seeing this, Kong Yifeng's face lit up with joy.

He shouted to the group, "Fellow Daoists, this Golden-Silver Bird has reached the peak of the seventh stage. It was previously in a deep slumber as it faced the hurdle of advancing to an eighth-grade demon beast. Rest assured, my array has its unique features, and it won't be easy for it to break through!"

Upon hearing Kong Yifeng's words, the several Core Formation cultivators in the middle stage who were driving the array below all had slight changes in their expressions.

At this moment, Chu Ning sighed softly in his heart.

"It's clear that Kong Yifeng has long been aware of this, and he deliberately chose this time."

In the short time that everyone was talking, the Golden-Silver Bird trapped by the light barrier was extremely angry.

"Screech!"

After letting out a sharp cry, the bird flapped its silver wings and flew straight up, continuing to pounce towards Kong Yifeng.

Kong Yifeng coldly huffed upon seeing this.

"Fellow Daoists, attack!"

Although the people below who were setting up the array were a little surprised by the news Kong Yifeng brought, at this moment, they had no other choice.

As Kong Yifeng's words fell, everyone immediately waved their array flags and cast their spell seals.

In an instant, thunder arcs flashed on the array plate in the middle.

Seeing this, Kong Yifeng held the small black-gray round plate in one hand and waved an array flag with the other.

At the same time, he pointed towards the ground, and instantly, a bolt of lightning flew out and penetrated the light barrier!

"Boom!"

Accompanied by the sound of thunder, the lightning that pierced through the light barrier instantly transformed into a much thicker pillar of thunder, striking the Golden-Silver Bird!

"Screech!"

The Golden-Silver Bird realized something was wrong and let out a startled cry.

The silver wings, sturdy as steel, flapped, and instantly, a powerful demonic force surged from its body, meeting the lightning in the air.

"Boom!"

With this loud noise, the pillar of thunder and the violent demonic force both disappeared.

At this moment, the Golden-Silver Bird raised its head to glance at Kong Yifeng in the air.

Its body then quickly landed on the ground.

Just then, Kong Yifeng pointed his flag, and another bolt of lightning condensed and struck down.

The Golden-Silver Bird flapped its wings once more, stirring up a gale that swept up the sand and dirt on the ground, forming a giant pillar of wind to counter the lightning.

In the next moment, the bird suddenly flew straight towards Chu Ning, who was driving the array on the ground.

"Does it sense that my aura is the weakest?"

Even with the light barrier blocking it, Chu Ning's expression still changed slightly when he saw this.

He had indeed slightly concealed his aura using the Wood Spirit Body's talent, but he didn't do it just now.

He had already been doing this since their visit to Frost Moon Pavilion.

Others could sense his Core Formation mid-stage aura, but they couldn't perceive that his aura was significantly stronger than a typical Core Formation cultivator at the same stage.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, he had become the target of the Golden-Silver Bird's attack to break the array.

Kong Yifeng, who was in the air, seemed worried that Chu Ning would try to escape, so he immediately shouted, "Fellow Daoist Chu, don't be afraid. With the array's defense, continue driving the flags!"

As he shouted, Kong Yifeng waved his flag.

Another bolt of lightning struck down, and right in front of Chu Ning, it collided with the power of the Golden-Silver Bird's wings once more.

At the same time, the Golden-Silver Bird crashed into the light barrier in front of Chu Ning. As it was bounced back, a bolt of lightning also struck out from the light barrier.

The Golden-Silver Bird didn't have time to defend itself, and the lightning struck it directly, causing it to let out a startled cry.

The eyes of the seventh-stage peak Golden-Silver Bird turned crimson, and it continuously flapped its wings.

While countering the lightning strikes from Kong Yifeng above, it also used its power to attack the light barrier in front of Chu Ning, creating an extremely shocking scene.

In a short while, it had already endured more than ten lightning strikes.

"How fierce!"

This was the first time Chu Ning had faced a seventh-stage peak demon beast head-on, and his expression was extremely solemn.

He had quite a few tricks up his sleeve, but the scene before him told him that if he were to confront such a demon beast directly, he could only flee for his life.

Kong Yifeng, who was driving the array, also had a solemn expression.

The ferocity and strength of this bird were indeed beyond his expectations.

He had originally thought that with the help of the array, they would definitely be able to kill this demon, but now, after attacking for so long, the bird could still withstand it.

"Hmm?"

Just as Kong Yifeng was about to wave his flag again to continue the attack, he suddenly felt the sky above darken, and he couldn't help but look up in surprise.

At this moment, he saw that the entire island was shrouded in dark clouds.

Kong Yifeng noticed this, and Chu Ning and the other four people below, as well as the Golden-Silver Bird, also noticed it.

The six people and the bird looked up involuntarily.

Before they could react,

"Boom!!!

Accompanied by a deafening thunderclap, several giant lightning bolts suddenly struck down from the dark clouds above.

The lightning pillars were as thick as arms, and their might was far greater than the lightning pillars that the group had generated with the array earlier.

"What is this?"

Before everyone could understand what was happening, the thick lightning bolts had already descended.

"Screech!"

Seeing these flashes of lightning, the Golden-Silver Bird let out another sharp cry.

In its cry, there was not only shock and anger but also a hint of joy.

"Not good, it's the Transformation Tribulation!"

At this moment, Chu Ning and the others had already guessed what was happening, and they cried out in surprise.

"How is this possible? How did the Transformation Tribulation come early?"

Kong Yifeng exclaimed in dismay, his voice filled with regret.

However, it was already too late to do anything, and the thick lightning bolts had already struck the light barrier of the array.

Then, after passing through the light barrier, they became even thicker, growing to the thickness of a bowl.

This lightning had actually absorbed the power of the previous lightning strikes on the light barrier.

Seeing the bowl-thick lightning arc,

Kong Yifeng, who was controlling the array, and the Golden-Silver Bird below, both had their expressions change.

Immediately after, the array plate exploded into pieces, shattering into smithereens!

At the same time, arcs of electricity scattered and splashed in every direction!

The several cultivators controlling the array all felt a powerful electric shock run through their bodies at this moment.

Apart from Chu Ning, whose physical body far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators, gritting his teeth and enduring without any obvious reaction.

The rest of them all let out muffled hums, their faces turning deathly pale.

Evidently, they had been seriously injured by this attack.

At this moment, everyone's priority was to escape, not to worry about manipulating the array.

However, the attacks they received were insignificant compared to what Kong Yifeng and the Golden-Silver Bird were facing.

Kong Yifeng, who was controlling the array in the center, was now being backlashed by the lightning on the array plate. A thick arc of lightning struck his body, causing him to lose his grip on the array flags and plate, and he fell straight down from the sky.

The Golden-Silver Bird, which had attracted the Tribulation of Transformation, was also in a dire situation.

Even though it had gathered its demonic power to counter the descending lightning tribulation, after absorbing the lightning power from the array, this lightning pillar clearly exceeded its capacity to withstand.

"Screech!"

The Golden-Silver Bird let out a pained cry, and its flapping wings paused momentarily.

Among the three golden tail feathers, the longest one fell off under this strike.

All of this seemed to take a long time, but in reality, from the moment the dark clouds appeared to when the lightning tribulation struck, it was just the blink of an eye.

Chu Ning, being very close to the Golden-Silver Bird, naturally witnessed everything that happened.

As he was quickly retreating, he saw one of the Golden-Silver Bird's tail feathers fall.

Without any hesitation, he lifted his hand and sucked it into his palm!

Then, he swiftly placed it into his storage bag.

The Golden-Silver Bird, at this moment, looked up at the second wave of lightning pressing down from the sky and didn't notice Chu Ning's actions at all.

In fact, even if it had noticed, it wouldn't have had the luxury to care at this moment.

"Quick, run!"

At this moment, the several Core Formation cultivators naturally saw the second wave of lightning descending from the sky.

Chang Ling Shan shouted loudly.

Everyone flew away in a hurry, quickly escaping.

Kong Yifeng, who had fallen to the ground after being hit by the backlash from the array plate explosion, struggled to get up.

It seemed like he wanted to fly away as well.

But before he could get up, the second wave of lightning had already struck down!

"Ah! Save me!"

Being the closest, he had no time to dodge and could only let out a miserable scream as he fell to the ground again.

As for Chu Ning and the others, they didn't have the time to worry about him and quickly fled the island.

"Rumble, rumble!"

"Screech!"

Faintly, everyone heard another rumble of thunder and the cry of the Golden-Silver Bird from behind!

The magnitude of the sound startled everyone, and their faces turned pale with fear.

They flew out for over two hundred zhang before stopping, making sure they were completely out of the range of the tribulation.

Only then did the five of them halt.

Including Chu Ning, their faces were all pale, and as they looked back at the island shrouded in lightning, their eyes were filled with lingering fear.

The difference was that the others were genuinely pale, while Chu Ning had forced himself to appear so.

With his exceptionally robust physical body, he had withstood the scattered lightning strikes just now.

In fact, during the attack, Chu Ning even felt a tempering effect on his body.

However, at this moment, Chu Ning naturally wouldn't reveal his unusual resilience.

As for the fear in his eyes, that was genuine.

Chu Ning wouldn't assume that he could escape unscathed from such an attack; he was well aware of the danger.

The more significant reason was that they had only been assisting with the array and hadn't directly faced the heavenly lightning.

Take Kong Yifeng, for example; he had no resistance against the direct strike.

"How's Fellow Daoist Kong..."

At this moment, Chang Ling Shan also thought of Kong Yifeng's fate, and his eyes couldn't help but show a trace of worry.

Chu Ning said in a deep voice,

"Brother Chang, the power of the heavenly lightning around the Golden-Silver Bird is so immense that Fellow Daoist Kong is likely in great danger.

In fact, we are all in peril. Such a commotion will likely attract higher-level demons from the surrounding area.

All of us are severely injured, so it's best to leave immediately."

Upon hearing Chu Ning's words, Han Shihong immediately nodded in agreement, "Fellow Daoist Chu is right. We should leave at once."

"Yes, let's go now, or it will be too late." He Yongzhi and his wife also concurred.

Hearing their words, Chang Ling Shan knew that the situation was dire.

As for Kong Yifeng's life and death, it was not something they could control.

"Let's go!" As he spoke, he turned and flew towards the Central Sea region without hesitation.

The rest of them also flew away without delay.

Not long after they left, powerful auras rose from different directions in the Outer Sea and rushed towards their location.

Some had human-shaped upper bodies and dragon-shaped lower bodies.

Some had the head of a bull but the body of a cultivator.

Some looked human but were entirely covered in scales.

Faintly, there was also a figure wearing a robe, with a jade-like face, looking like a cultivator, but a faint demonic aura was seeping out from his body.

"Some cultivators dared to trigger the golden-silver Tribulation of Transformation ahead of time. These cultivators deserve to die!!!"

A cold and sinister voice echoed in the sky.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end