Chapter 294: Gathering from All Sides, Tribulation!

Chapter 294: Gathering from All Sides, Tribulation!

July 29, 2024

"Judging from the position of the tribulation clouds, it seems to be near the Tower of Heaven's Secrets?"

The man in black executed a series of agile maneuvers, moving swiftly through the shadows of the alleyways as he calculated the location indicated by the tribulation clouds.

Soon enough, he deduced that the tribulation clouds were hovering right above the Tower of Heaven's Secrets, the very place he had been keeping a close eye on these past few days.

"It seems the Tower of Heaven's Secrets holds a treasure. Their methods of divination truly hold some merit."

Though the Holy City was vast, the man in black was swift. In no time, he arrived not far from the tower.

However, he did not dare to approach any closer. Instead, he found a shadowy spot and completely suppressed his aura, lying in wait.

The man in black was a pure demon cultivator.

His skill in concealing his aura was exceptional; even a powerful innate realm expert would have a hard time detecting him.

However, he couldn't hide from the will of heaven and earth, especially the tribulation clouds—a special phenomenon manifested by the laws of heaven and earth, which were extremely sensitive to the aura of the demon path.

If he got too close, the tribulation clouds might very well target him first.

Therefore, the safest option was to wait for the tribulation clouds to dissipate before sneaking in to see if he could snatch some opportunity.

Just as the man in black had hidden himself, several powerful auras passed by him.

He glanced at them and recognized the cow-nosed Daoists who had been persistently trailing him since earlier.

However, at this moment, the cow-nosed Daoists were also attracted by the tribulation clouds in the sky and didn't notice him hiding in the corner as they moved forward.

The man in black remained still, calmly lurking in the shadows.

Not long after, he saw several more groups passing by.

All of them exuded powerful auras and had profound cultivation levels; none of them were weak.

But that was to be expected. Although the tribulation clouds had not yet fully formed, the dangerous pressure they emitted was already astonishing.

Ordinary warriors wouldn't be able to withstand that terrifying pressure and come close.

When he saw a group of monks passing by, the man in black's heart stirred once more.

As a demon cultivator, he despised these bald monks who practiced Buddhism.

Seeing so many powerful experts gather here, the man in black became even more cautious, suppressing his aura to an even deeper level.

He made a decision—unless an excellent opportunity presented itself, he wouldn't make a move.

Otherwise, with so many experts present, if he exposed himself, even with his life-saving techniques, he might not be able to escape unscathed.

"Amitabha. Abbot Xuan Ming, I, Yang Ming, admit my ignorance. May I ask if that in the sky is the legendary tribulation cloud?"

Abbot Xuan Ming from Hanging Void Mountain asked politely with a humble expression.

"Hmph, Abbot Xuan Ming, stop pretending. With Hanging Void Mountain's background, how could you not recognize what that is in the sky? Are you up to something devious again?"

However, Daoist Yang Ming didn't give Abbot Xuan Ming any face and directly mocked him.

Seeing Daoist Yang Ming's rudeness, the other monks glared angrily.

Only Abbot Xuan Ming remained unperturbed, smilingly shaking his head without taking offense.

Seeing that Abbot Xuan Ming didn't show any anger, Daoist Yang Ming became wary.

This old monk was too patient and too deep; he felt that he couldn't see through him.

However, compared to his wariness of Abbot Xuan Ming, Daoist Yang Ming was more concerned about the tribulation clouds in the sky.

The appearance of tribulation clouds heralded the birth of an existence beyond the ordinary.

It could be a supreme expert breaking through or the emergence of a treasure or a heavenly resource.

With the recent revival of spiritual energy, it was impossible for a powerful expert capable of triggering tribulation clouds to appear.

Treasures and heavenly resources also needed time to cultivate and form; they wouldn't appear at this time.

The most likely possibility was the emergence of a treasure.

After all, the Holy City was too ancient. It had already existed during the previous cultivation era.

No one knew how many secrets it held.

It was very possible that a treasure lay beneath it.

However, it was unclear what the emergence of this treasure signified. If it fell into the hands of Hanging Void Mountain, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Daoist Yang Ming's heart tightened, and he secretly became vigilant of Abbot Xuan Ming's group.

If a treasure was about to be born, it could fall into anyone's hands but not those bald monks from Hanging Void Mountain!

"Big Brother, according to the records in our Yun Shui Secret Realm, the appearance of tribulation clouds may signify the emergence of a treasure."

"As long as we can obtain it, the strength of our Yun Shui Secret Realm will definitely increase greatly!"

In another direction, the disciples of Yun Shui Secret Realm also stared at the tribulation clouds in the sky with wide eyes.

"Don't be impulsive.

These tribulation clouds appeared too abnormally, and I'm afraid something bad might happen.

Just now, we intercepted quite a few streams of light, and we have already achieved our purpose for coming out.

Let's just wait and see what happens for now, and not be greedy."

The senior brother of Yun Shui Secret Realm showed no excitement at all, but instead looked grave.

He had a vague premonition that this tribulation cloud seemed more than just the emergence of a rare treasure.

Unfortunately, the area ahead was already shrouded by the aura of the tribulation clouds, and no one dared to use their soul power to investigate the situation within.

Otherwise, if they were enveloped by the tribulation aura and struck by a tribulation thunderbolt, even a celestial being would find it hard to save them.

So, everyone could only patiently wait for the tribulation clouds to dissipate, after which everything would naturally be revealed.

"Elder Chen, what's happening inside? Where's Young Master Lu?"

Just as external forces from all sides were gathering towards the Tower of Heaven's Secrets, the courtyard was also in a state of uncertainty.

After Lu Qing entered his cultivation state to refine the primal origin qi, Elder Chen and the others found themselves at a loss.

At first, everything seemed fine, but as time passed, the aura emanating from Lu Qing became increasingly dangerous.

Yet, Lu Qing seemed to have entered a deep cultivation state, oblivious to the changes in his surroundings.

Left with no choice, Elder Chen led Little Yan and Little Li out of the room and into the courtyard.

It was only then that they noticed the gray clouds that had appeared in the sky without anyone noticing, hanging over the courtyard.

"Lu Qing is still cultivating inside and hasn't woken up yet. Tower Master, what are those gray clouds in the sky? Could they be targeting Lu Qing?"

Elder Chen asked, sensing the terrifying aura emanating from the clouds.

The Tower Master of the Tower of Heaven's Secrets was also staring at the clouds above, deep in thought, as if recalling something.

Finally, when he remembered the origin of the gray clouds, his expression changed.

"Quick, Elder Chen, take everyone and leave immediately! Those are tribulation clouds! If we don't leave now, it might be too late!"

Without further ado, the Tower Master rushed forward, grabbing Ma Gu and Wei Zian by the shoulders and heading out of the courtyard.

At the same time, he shouted, "All disciples of the Tower of Heaven's Secrets, withdraw immediately! Do not delay!"

Seeing this, Elder Chen realized the seriousness of the situation and dared not hesitate. He also took Little Yan and Hu Zezhi and ran out.

Of course, Lin Zhirui followed closely behind.

In the Tower of Heaven's Secrets, the Tower Master's word was law, and no one dared to disobey. Soon, the disciples of the tower withdrew outside the sect.

As for the Tower Master, he led Elder Chen and the others to the top of the tall tower.

From there, they could clearly see what was happening in the courtyard below, which was about half a mile away.

"Master, are those gray clouds in the sky tribulation clouds?"

Lin Zhirui asked, looking at the gray clouds that continued to gather over the courtyard, their might already reaching a heart-pounding level.

"That's right. Those are tribulation clouds, said to have only appeared in the ancient times.

I've only seen brief mentions of them in the secret scriptures of our Tower of Heaven's Secrets.

I never expected them to appear here!"

The Tower Master stared at the gray clouds, which were almost tangible, and thought of the scriptures he had once read, feeling incredibly shocked.

"It is said that when tribulation clouds appear, an existence beyond the ordinary will soon be born, stirring the laws of heaven and earth, and thus, a tribulation descends.

Only by overcoming the tribulation can this extraordinary being be born."

"Are these tribulation clouds targeting Lu Qing?" Lin Zhirui asked further.

"I'm not sure," the Tower Master shook his head.

However, his heart was clear.

He felt that the tribulation clouds were most likely aimed at Lu Qing.

At the same time, he also understood why Lu Qing had always been so mysterious and powerful.

Despite being only at the post-natal realm, he could fight against those at the pre-heaven realm and even defeat those at the pre-heaven realm's perfection stage.

It turned out that his strength had already reached a level where he could trigger tribulation clouds, defying the heavens.

Elder Chen naturally thought of this as well, and he couldn't help but worry, "Tower Master, how can we overcome this tribulation?"

"I don't know either." The Tower Master shook his head. "Our Tower of Heaven's Secrets also has limited information about tribulation clouds.

Only in that ancient era, when spiritual energy was abundant, would such a phenomenon rarely occur. Perhaps the people of the Four Secret Lands have detailed information about the Tribulation Clouds."

Hearing this, the old doctor looked towards the courtyard with some worry.

Although he had confidence in his disciple, facing the Heavenly Tribulation, no one could guarantee that Lu Qing would make it through safely.

Ma Gu and the others also thought of this, but looking at the gray clouds in the sky and sensing the terrifying aura emanating from them, they knew that they could not help Lu Qing in any way.

Only Xiao Yan, tightly hugging the still-sleeping Xiao Li, had determination in her eyes.

She believed that her brother would definitely be able to defeat those gray clouds because her brother had promised never to leave her alone again.

"Master, the Tribulation Clouds are changing again!"

Just as everyone was worried, Lin Zhirui suddenly spoke up.

Everyone looked up and saw that the gray Tribulation Clouds had indeed changed.

The gray color was deepening, turning towards black, and within the clouds, lightning flickered, as if it was about to strike down at any moment.

And at this moment, in the room of the courtyard that was invisible to everyone else, Lu Qing, who had been meditating and cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes.

There was still a look of astonishment in his eyes as he said, "As expected of an opportunity that appeared after the revival of spiritual energy. This primal origin qi contains a trace of the world's primal essence, evolving and accommodating all things.

Even with my ability, I have only comprehended a fraction of it so far.

But even so, I have already gained immense benefits.

If I were to fully understand it, the results would be unimaginable."

Lu Qing was still immersed in his recent epiphany when he suddenly felt a powerful force gathering above him, as if it was targeting him specifically.

He was slightly startled, and his spiritual power spread throughout his body, sensing the surrounding rules of heaven and earth.

Soon, he understood what was happening and became aware of the gray clouds in the sky.

"So that's how it is. My accumulation has been too excessive, far beyond the scope of the Post-Natal Realm. Now I have triggered a response from the rules of heaven and earth, and a tribulation is descending to test me."

Lu Qing's mind contained the complete legacy of the Li Huo Sect.

Naturally, he knew what the gray clouds in the sky signified.

At the same time, he also understood why his previous attempt to break through to the Pre-Heaven Realm had failed.

The reason was that his accumulation had been too robust, and he needed to undergo the tribulation to temper his body and transform it into a Pre-Heaven body.

Back then, the rules of heaven and earth were still evolving and couldn't gather enough energy to form Tribulation Clouds, so naturally, he couldn't advance to the Pre-Heaven Realm.

In other words, Lu Qing's growth had outpaced the evolution of the rules of heaven and earth.

This caused the heavens to be unable to meet the conditions for his breakthrough, leaving him stuck in a strange state where he could absorb qi into his body and cultivate true qi but remained in the Post-Natal Realm.

Now that he understood the situation, Lu Qing's heart calmed down.

Sensing the impending strike from the Tribulation Clouds, a smile appeared on his face as he said, "Heavenly Tribulation, let's see if you're really as terrifying as the legends say."

As he finished speaking, his mind stirred, and the aura around his body suddenly surged.

His spiritual power burst out from his brow, interacting with the surrounding rules of heaven and earth and drawing upon the mysterious energy in the void.

His dantian's qi sea exerted a powerful suction force, like a dragon playing in the water, absorbing and refining the surrounding heaven and earth qi and spiritual energy, transforming them into his own power.

At this moment, Lu Qing once again attempted to break through to the Pre-Heaven Realm.

Seemingly sensing Lu Qing's breakthrough, the Tribulation Clouds in the sky reacted instantly.

They began to slowly rotate, and a bright light converged at their center.

Then, in the next moment, to the shock of countless onlookers, a thunderous roar echoed, and a bolt of white lightning struck downward.

Boom!

The powerful lightning force directly shattered the roof of the room where Lu Qing was located, along with the surrounding walls, reducing it to rubble.

As for Lu Qing, who was at the center of the strike, his appearance after being hit by the lightning was dreadful.

His body was charred black, and some areas were even pierced by the lightning, leaving gaping holes that looked terrifying.

"Brother Lu Qing!"

"Brother!"

"Young Master Lu!"

"Young Lu!"

From the top of the tall tower, everyone couldn't help but exclaim in shock at the sight before them.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end