Chapter 344: The Tribulation Cloud Forms!

Chapter 344: The Tribulation Cloud Forms!

"Senior Chen Chen."

Qi Family Patriarch, holding a wine cup at Chen Qiu's table, looked at him with a respectful expression, his voice slightly trembling, "I never thought I'd have the fortune to offer a toast to a great figure like you. I'm at a loss for words, so I'll drink to your health and wish you prosperity like the Eastern Sea!"

With that, he drained his cup.

Sitting beside him, Jiang Buying rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Do you want to add 'May your life be as long as the Southern Mountains'?"

"It's fine."

Chen Qiu smiled lightly, not taking offense. He raised his cup in return, unaware that he had already grown into a prominent figure. It felt like the days of chopping wood in Fufeng City hadn't been that long ago.

Time passed quickly.

And soon after—

With Qi Family Patriarch taking the lead, the others exchanged glances, seeing the same thought in each other's eyes. They stood up and tentatively approached Chen Qiu's table to offer toasts. Chen Qiu didn't put on any airs; he returned the gesture to everyone who came to toast him.

Although these people combined couldn't defeat him, there was no reason to offend anyone without cause. Otherwise, they might secretly create trouble for him, and even if they couldn't kill him, it would still be a nuisance.

The atmosphere didn't turn chaotic; everyone came one after the other.

Instead, the mood became livelier.

Everyone wore a smile on their faces. Initially, they had come with some resentment, as they were forced to attend after being beaten up by Jiang Buying. But upon discovering Chen Qiu's presence, they felt the trip was worthwhile.

Being able to offer a toast to Chen Qiu up close and even having a chance to chat was a rare opportunity.

Most people didn't expect to gain any favors from Chen Qiu, as their relationship was too shallow for them to ask for help after just one meeting.

But—

This toast could serve as a favor, so that if any of their clansmen or matters offended Chen Qiu, as long as the grudge wasn't too deep, they could use this connection to avoid the risk of clan annihilation.

That was the crucial part.

After all, this was a monster who could tear apart a True Immortal at the peak of his Earth Immortal Eighth Level cultivation. He was the true strongest in the Tide Immortal Plane, and no one dared to provoke him!

The Qi Family's "Family Establishment Feast" was lively, and the "Ji City" Lord, who initially didn't care, later stood respectfully outside the Qi Family residence, waiting for the right moment near the end to deliver his congratulatory gift.

Not to mention anything else,

Just the scene at this "Family Establishment Feast" and the gifts from these attendees were enough to ensure the Qi Family's peaceful development for a hundred years without any disturbance within a thousand li radius. No local power dared to offend the Qi Family with so many top-tier forces backing them.

These powerful forces, even those with past grudges, attended today, showing that they had been given sufficient respect.

In return for Qi Family Patriarch's decade of care, Jiang Buying presented a grand enough gift.

As the banquet was about to end,

Chen Qiu turned to Badan and said softly, "I'm planning to go to the Sixth Rank Immortal World. Since you want to stay in the Tide Immortal Plane, I won't force you. The road ahead is indeed too dangerous, and your strength is insufficient."

"If there's anything I can help with, feel free to contact me."

"Hmm."

Badan took a deep breath and rasped, "Senior, I don't know what to say. When I first met you, I was already on the brink of death. To have come this far, I'm deeply aware that ninety percent of the credit goes to you."

"But—"

"My strength has indeed reached its limit. Being able to break through to the True Immortal stage is already a blessing from you. For the path ahead, I know I'm not destined to tread it."

"I can't accompany you all the way, and further on, I'd only be a burden to you."

"This is my regret."

"However, if there comes a day when you need me to fight by your side, I won't refuse."

"Hmm." Chen Qiu lightly patted Badan's shoulder without saying more. Instead, he looked at Jiang Buying beside him, "It seems you've been quite bored in the Zhongzhou City Guard for ten years."

"Hmph." Jiang Buying shrugged and spread his hands.

"Come with me to the Sixth Rank Immortal World."

"Hey, great!"

Sixth Rank Immortal World, Extinction Immortal Realm.

At this time, Chen Qiu had become a local in the Tide Immortal Plane. By activating the Heavenly King title, he could go to the Sixth Rank Immortal World. However, he didn't use this title but instead shattered the heavenly fetters of the Tide Immortal Plane and arrived at the Sixth Rank Immortal World.

As long as one possessed the cultivation of the Celestial Immortal Peak and defeated a puppet with the same level of cultivation, they could enter the Sixth Rank Immortal World.

The reason so many Celestial Immortal Peak cultivators in the Tide Immortal Plane chose to stay there instead of going to the Sixth Rank Immortal World was simple—they didn't want to give up the wealth and status they had accumulated over the years. As the old saying goes, it's better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond.

Not everyone's goal in cultivation was to become an Immortal Emperor.

After all, very few could achieve that status.

Even fewer cultivated for the sake of longevity; most just wanted to improve their current lives. To seek immortality required cultivating to an incredibly high realm, and few had the confidence to reach such heights.

In other words—

At this point, Chen Qiu could have used the Heavenly King title to go to the Seventh Rank Immortal World.

But there was no need.

Tide Prefecture, Abandoned City. Chen Qiu and the others appeared in a restaurant and gathered in a private room.

They ordered some local delicacies from the Sixth Rank Immortal World.

His current cultivation was stuck at ninety percent of the Celestial Immortal stage. He didn't plan to waste much time and intended to return to the Mocking Heaven Palace to cultivate until he reached the Celestial Immortal Peak, then face the tribulation and officially break through to the True Immortal stage.

Before that,

Chen Qiu turned to Jiang Buying, who was sitting beside him, and said softly, "You know I won't be returning your body to you for a while, right?"

"Hmm.

Jiang Buping didn't seem to mind this at all. "You keep it for now. I haven't decided if I want it yet. If, by chance, you're not strong enough at that time, and I've regained my strength, standing on the same side as you would be a disaster. It's better to be at a low level of strength and not be affected."

"You said that the reason you were a Half-step Immortal Emperor was because the rule you followed already had an Immortal Emperor. Only one Immortal Emperor can exist under a single rule. I'm curious about the rule you followed."

". . ."

After a long silence, Jiang Buping spoke in a hoarse voice, "I rarely talk about this to others, but since you asked, there's nothing I can't tell you. My rule is 'One Pipe a Day.'"

"Literal meaning?"

"Literal meaning."

Fatty Dragon's expression was peculiar as he looked Jiang Buping up and down. "Even if you become an Immortal Emperor with this rule, you probably won't be too strong, right?"

"It's true that you won't be too strong, but no matter what rule you follow to become an Immortal Emperor, even the weakest Immortal Emperor can easily defeat all Half-step Immortal Emperors. At that time, everyone was striving to break through to the Immortal Emperor realm. Whether you become the weakest Immortal Emperor or not is something to consider after you've achieved that breakthrough."

"I never expected that just as I was about to break through to the Immortal Emperor realm, someone would take the lead and reach the Immortal Emperor realm with this rule, disrupting my plans."

"Do you still follow this rule now?"

"Day after day."

"That's tough."

"It is a bit."

"But when you were imprisoned in the Mock Heaven Sect, with countless Immortal Annihilation Talismans burning you, were you still following this rule?"

"Unwavering."

". . ."

Fatty Dragon's expression gradually turned serious. "It's a bit admirable, but I have one more question. It's fine on regular days, but we spent three days at the Ascension Assembly, and during that time, we were all together. How did you..."

"In the Mansion."

"But you don't cultivate, so how do you handle closed-door cultivation?"

"The spiritual energy flows through and is automatically expelled. It has become an unconscious habit. Even if I'm in closed-door cultivation or in a heavily injured and unconscious state, it doesn't affect it."

"So after all these years, your body must be quite weak, right?"

"It's not in the best condition."

"Then you must not have much contact with women, right?"

Jiang Buping shook his head. "I have no energy left to waste on such things. If you were me, even if a naked fairy stood before you, you wouldn't feel any lust."

"That's good." Chen Qiu nodded slightly. "A good seed for cultivating Buddhism. I know quite a few Buddhist cultivators. If you want to become a monk in the future, I can introduce you to some connections. And with that, we shall part ways here."

After saying this, Chen Qiu didn't linger in the city, as there wasn't much difference between this place and the Tide Immortal Plane, except for the slightly denser spiritual energy. It was just like that. If you didn't examine it carefully, you couldn't tell the difference between a Sixth Rank Immortal World and a Fifth Rank Immortal World.

Many things are hard to discern at a glance.

For example, the Sixth Rank Immortal World has higher-level secret realms, can produce rarer treasures and medicinal herbs, has a higher cultivation limit, and will have more powerful cultivators. These changes can only be perceived after living there for a long time.

Soon, he returned to the Mock Heaven Palace with the Mock Heaven Sect disciples and resumed his closed-door cultivation.

He began to push for the Peak Heaven Immortal cultivation base. Currently, he was at the ninth level of Heaven Immortal, and with all his strength, reaching the Peak Heaven Immortal realm wouldn't be too far off.

Three months later.

Chen Qiu, who had been staying in the Mock Heaven Palace, exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, slowly opened his eyes, and looked at the cultivation panel above his dantian—

-

"Cultivation": Peak Heaven Immortal (100.0%).

-

With all his effort in cultivation, in just three months, his cultivation base had reached the Peak Heaven Immortal realm. Although he had been in closed-door cultivation for ten years, advancing his cultivation from the eighth level of Earth Immortal to the ninth level of Heaven Immortal, it couldn't be said that these ten years were spent in all-out cultivation. The main focus was on accumulating those white entries.

And after continuously breaking through so many minor realms.

Naturally, he had gained many opportunities for the three-choice entries, but he didn't use any of them. He was saving them up, just like before. He planned to accumulate them and synthesize a "large-scale lottery" again, where he could draw unique-grade rewards. This was much better than drawing a single entry.

He began preparing for the breakthrough.

He didn't wake up all the Mock Heaven Sect disciples but only brought Fatty Dragon and a few close confidants with him. They left the Mock Heaven Palace and went to the Extinction Immortal Realm. As soon as they arrived, he felt the heavens locking onto him tightly.

A large and dense tribulation cloud quickly condensed above his head.

This was because the heavenly tribulation had locked onto him.

It was time to face the tribulation once more.

This heavenly tribulation was a combination of the "Heavenly Immortal Tribulation," "True Immortal Tribulation," "All the minor realm tribulations from the eighth level of Earth Immortal to the ninth level of Heaven Immortal," and "support from his foundation," among other factors. It was foreseeable that its power wouldn't be weak, especially with the presence of the True Immortal Tribulation, a threshold tribulation.

For many powerful cultivators, the True Immortal Tribulation alone was already a formidable challenge, not to mention the additional chaotic factors.

The power of this tribulation would undoubtedly be stronger than the previous one.

But this time, Chen Qiu was a bit more confident than before. After all, not only was he stronger than the last time, but his foundation for crossing the tribulation had also become more robust. Once he passed this tribulation, he would become a True Immortal powerhouse!

Upon returning to the Extinction Immortal Realm, Chen Qiu's first action was to find a remote and uninhabited place away from the Abandoned City to prepare for the tribulation.

The tribulation was still in the process of condensation and wouldn't fall for a while. During this time, Chen Qiu brought Badan up from the Fifth Rank Immortal World.

At their last parting.

He had given Badan a small task.

"Is this the Sixth Rank Immortal World?"

Badan looked around and greedily inhaled the air, filled with spiritual energy. "It doesn't seem much stronger than the Tide Immortal Plane."

"However, after sensing the terrifying Tribulation Cloud carrying the might of heavenly lightning above him, he casually raised his eyebrows, as if it were nothing. If this was his first time witnessing such a scene, he might have been shocked, but he had seen this spectacle many times before and had long since become numb to it.

He wasn't worried about Chen Qiu's ability to overcome this heavenly tribulation.

This was a matter that required no concern.

It's just that the 'Extinction Immortal Realm' has been quiet for a long time, and it's estimated that all cultivators attempting to transcend tribulations have been stuck for a period. The last time Chen Qiu completed his tribulation in the Tide Immortal Plane, there wasn't a single tribulation for several months, preventing anyone from transcending.

The power of heaven and earth had been completely exhausted, leaving not a trace of excess energy to condense.

Only then did he hand over a storage bracelet to Chen Qiu, grinning, "Senior, they're all here, approximately 20,000 white entry slips, but many of them are duplicates."

The last time they parted, the senior had given him a task to collect over 20,000 white entry slips, even if they were duplicates. He didn't know the reason, but he didn't need to know; he just had to follow the order.

Within these three months, he used his connections to extensively purchase white entry slips throughout the Tide Immortal Plane. As he didn't create too much of a stir, the prices remained reasonable and didn't increase too much.

There were plenty of white entry slips, especially duplicates, making them easier to collect. In just three months, he had gathered over 20,000 white entry slips.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly as he took the storage bracelet, sensing the 20,000 white entry slips within. Only then did he truly comprehend the concept of a complete 'White Imperial Banner'.

Possessing the complete 'Emperor Banner' meant that from then on, any white entry he obtained would automatically transform into an entry he didn't possess, even if it was a duplicate!

In other words, these weren't 20,000 white entries but 20,000 green entries!

Although the level had only increased by one, the value between them was worlds apart. Most white entries were useless unless they were specialized, while green entries rarely lacked utility and significantly enhanced one's combat power.

Without hesitation, he immediately crushed all the white entry slips in the storage bracelet.

Instantly, 20,000 green entries appeared on the inner wall of his dantian, including some old acquaintances, such as:

[Entry Name]: Vengeful Spirit Summoning.

[Entry Level]: Green.

[Entry Effect]: The creatures you kill will turn into vengeful spirits that attach to your body. You can summon them to fight for you at any time, possessing their peak strength during their lifetime. However, they can only exist for one hour before dissipating into the heavens and earth.

Among the rapidly flashing entries, Chen Qiu noticed this old friend and couldn't help but smile. This was the first entry that enhanced his combat power, helping him through the early stages. Later, after obtaining a merit title, all evil spirits were unable to approach him, and the vengeful spirits attached to his body were directly annihilated.

This rendered the entry useless.

Subsequently, he self-destructed the entry.

Unexpectedly, it returned at this moment.

When leaving the Family Establishment Feast, he casually went to the nearest market and bought a 'Green Imperial Banner'. After activating the complete 'White Imperial Banner', he automatically gained access to all 'White Imperial Banner' acquisition channels in the Tide Immortal Plane. Coincidentally, the nearest 'Green Imperial Banner' was being sold in the market.

He only spent 100,000 medium-grade spirit stones to purchase it.

It was much cheaper than the 'White Imperial Banner' he bought in Zhongzhou City for 1 million medium-grade spirit stones. In fact, this was the normal price, as this item had no use at all. It was only slightly overpriced due to its uniqueness, making it a collectible.

[Treasure Name]: Green Imperial Banner.

[Acquisition Source]: None.

[Usage Effect]:

1. When in possession of all green entries, this supreme treasure will regain its full power, possessing unparalleled might. Before then, it has no effect.

2. If you already possess over 90% of the green entries, you will obtain one missing green entry each day from then on.

He currently doesn't know the total number of green entries, but it's certain that there are fewer green entries than white entries. It wouldn't make sense for there to be more green entries than white ones.

He only needs to keep acquiring white entry slips, and one day he will collect all the green entries.

Not only will his combat power increase significantly, but he will also restore the 'Green Imperial Banner' to its complete form.

If the complete 'Green Imperial Banner' has the same effect as the 'White Imperial Banner', then he can gradually collect yellow, blue, purple, red, golden, pink, and even rainbow entries using the same method.

He will then possess all the entries in the world, and his combat power will be unparalleled, naturally making him invincible. Perhaps, at that time, these Imperial Banners will also regain their true power!

As for the gray and black entries, it's unclear if there are corresponding Imperial Banners for them, as they are too difficult to collect.

However, even if there is a 'Gray Imperial Banner', he wouldn't dare to obtain it. The 'White Imperial Banner' allows the user to freely choose whether to activate the effect of a specific white entry, but only after collecting all white entries. Before that, this effect doesn't exist.

If there is a 'Gray Imperial Banner', it's likely to follow the same principle. Before collecting all gray entries, bearing several thousand or even tens of thousands of negative effects would be unbearable for anyone! Moreover, the negative effects of gray entries are not minor. If they didn't have negative effects, each gray effect would be supreme, and some gray entries, after removing their negative effects, could even rival rainbow entries.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu shook his head and didn't dwell on it further. Instead, he took out a storage bracelet from his pocket and handed it to Badan, "You've put in a lot of effort for this matter. Take these Spirit Stones."

"I can't accept this," Badan quickly shook his head. "This is too much, and these are all white entry slips. They don't cost much in Spirit Stones. Elder, you've helped me so much, and these are just minor tasks."

Before Badan could finish, Chen Qiu interrupted him, "Just take it. Don't waste time with formalities. This isn't the end of our business dealings. From now on, I need you to continuously help me acquire white entry slips. Get as many as you can, even if it means paying a slightly higher price. It doesn't matter."

"Do you understand?"

In fact, he not only asked Badan to do this task but also the Zhongzhou City Lord. During the Family Establishment Feast, the Zhongzhou City Lord proactively approached Chen Qiu to offer him a toast. Jiang Buying spoke highly of this person, mentioning a few of his accomplishments, which piqued Chen Qiu's interest.

Someone similar to Liu Zide, but with a much higher starting point.

Liu Zide certainly wasn't born with a father who was already a city lord.

He had the makings of a successful businessman.

During this period, the Zhongzhou City Lord practically made it clear that he hoped to obtain Chen Qiu's official authorization, and Chen Qiu didn't refuse. In return, the Zhongzhou City Lord promised to help him acquire a large number of white entry slips.

However, Chen Qiu didn't seek out the Zhongzhou City Lord at this time, and he didn't know how many white entry slips the other party had acquired in the past three months.

Aside from these two people, Chen Qiu also sought out one more individual.

"Enigmatic Buddha."

When it came to transactions, no one was more skilled than the Enigmatic Buddha. Moreover, the Enigmatic Buddha not only represented an individual but also the entire Demon Clan, which inherently possessed the ability to conduct cross-continental transactions and communication. This skill was perfectly suited for business.

In recent days, the Enigmatic Buddha had also been actively acquiring white entry slips.

". . ."

Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, quickly scanning the green entries on the inner wall of his dantian. His mind went blank as he realized he shouldn't have crushed these 20,000 entry slips just yet, as he was about to face the heavenly tribulation.

What if one of the green entries had a negative effect? Should he self-destruct or not?

If he didn't self-destruct and something went wrong, it could lead to his demise.

If he did self-destruct, it would take some effort to obtain that green entry again later. It would be better to wait until after he had passed the heavenly tribulation to activate these entries, regardless of any potential side effects.

Fortunately, after scanning through them, he found that these 20,000 green entries had no significant side effects. Even if there were side effects, they were relatively minor compared to the white entries.

In fact, many of the green entries would greatly assist him in facing the heavenly tribulation, making it easier for him to pass through this tribulation.

Just then—

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

He didn't have much time to ponder, as countless heavenly thunders roared, and the tribulation clouds above him had already enveloped the entire sky, blocking out all sunlight. Despite it being high noon, the world was plunged into darkness, and one could only vaguely see the hundreds of miles of dark clouds and the countless, endlessly flashing arcs of lightning within.

The tribulation clouds had formed!

The heavenly tribulation was about to descend!

Chen Qiu took a deep breath, and his thunder robe slowly emerged, holding the Heaven's Wisdom Umbrella in the air. He closed his eyes patiently, waiting for the heavenly tribulation to arrive. It was worth mentioning that his Heaven's Wisdom Umbrella had been destroyed in the previous tribulation but was quickly repaired after consuming a strand of Heavenly Dao Fortune.

Compared to the last time he faced the heavenly tribulation,

his strength had increased significantly during this period, so even though this tribulation was far more powerful than the previous one, he felt no anxiety and remained calm.

In the distance,

Jiang Buying sat on the edge of a roof, chewing on a blade of dogtail grass, gazing up at the tribulation clouds that seemed to absorb all sunlight. He muttered, "The power of this heavenly tribulation is much greater than the last one."

The previous heavenly tribulation had already been terrifying enough, and even he had to draw upon his entire foundation to barely withstand it.

But this time was different.

This time, he could clearly sense that even with his full strength, it would be difficult to withstand this tribulation.

However,

he soon shook his head and laughed helplessly. It was true that he couldn't withstand it, but this time was different from the last. This time, he was full of confidence in Chen Qiu, as the latter had effortlessly passed through the 'Third Rank Heavenly Tribulation' before, and the stronger 'Fourth Stage Heavenly Tribulation' shouldn't be a problem.

And this commotion was far from insignificant.

Almost as soon as the tribulation clouds appeared, all the powerful cultivators in the Extinction Immortal Realm who weren't in secluded meditation opened their eyes and looked towards the Tide Province. Their cloudy eyes seemed to see through the void and directly observe Chen Qiu.

Even some of the cultivators in secluded meditation quickly headed in Chen Qiu's direction.

Everyone had a curiosity for gossip.

Especially when it was such a big piece of news, it couldn't be missed.

A heavenly tribulation of this magnitude had never been seen in the Extinction Immortal Realm before. What kind of cultivation would be required to face a tribulation of this level? Even while the tribulation clouds were still forming, everyone could sense their terrifying power!

In an instant,

the Tide Province became the focal point of the entire Extinction Immortal Realm, capturing everyone's attention!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end