Chapter 462: Sword Slashing the Heavenly Tribulation! The Old Doctor's Decision! The Virtuous Golden

Chapter 462: Sword Slashing the Heavenly Tribulation! The Old Doctor's Decision! The Virtuous Golden Light's Subtle Power!

Lu Qing never expected his master's heavenly tribulation to be so formidable.

The seventh tribulation thunderbolt already possessed a portion of the power from the initial Quintessence Tribulation's first few thunderbolts.

When he first observed, the heavenly tribulation's power didn't seem this terrifying.

"It seems that the heavenly tribulation isn't static; it adapts and changes according to the cultivator's situation."

Lu Qing recalled his own experience during his tribulation, where his audacity and provocation towards the heavens caused the tribulation to go berserk.

Initially, based on the power of the tribulation clouds summoned by his master, the tribulation should have been limited to six thunderbolts at most.

However, when he manifested the Water and Fire Dao Intent, the situation changed.

The difficulty of the tribulation increased drastically.

Indeed, as the ultimate test and tempering of the heavens for cultivators, the heavenly tribulation was not rigid but ever-changing.

Lu Qing gained a deeper understanding of the heavenly tribulation, and his enlightenment deepened.

"However, this means that my master's attempt to overcome the tribulation might face some challenges." Lu Qing's expression turned solemn.

He could tell that his master had already exerted almost all his strength to barely withstand the seventh tribulation thunderbolt.

The upcoming eighth thunderbolt, with its even greater power, would be even harder to face.

Lu Qing's body subtly trembled with surging energy.

Regardless, he couldn't stand by and watch his master perish under the heavenly tribulation.

If his master couldn't hold on, even if it meant interfering with his master's path, Lu Qing would have no choice but to intervene.

Meanwhile, as the tribulation clouds brewed the eighth thunderbolt, the old doctor was absorbing the spirit aura from a middle-grade spirit stone.

"The spirit stone Ah Qing gave me is truly a treasure. It can transform into my own spirit power without refinement, and it's incredibly mystical."

Feeling his spirit power rapidly recovering, the old doctor was amazed.

Initially, he thought the upcoming tribulation would be a close call.

But now, he felt a renewed sense of confidence.

However, this time, the old doctor realized that if he continued to passively endure the tribulation thunderbolts, he might not survive this heavenly tribulation.

A change in strategy was necessary.

Sensing his spirit power restored to a significant extent, the old doctor's eyes hardened with determination, and he had made a decision.

With a thought, a treasure sword appeared in his hand.

The domain that had enveloped a hundred-meter radius around him swiftly contracted, concentrating in front of him and continuously condensing.

Finally, it transformed into an incredibly sharp sword light, attaching itself to the sword.

Not only that, but the old doctor's water and fire spirit power, intent, and mental energy were also channeled into this sword light.

Unintentionally, a layer of golden light from his body also flowed into it.

This caused the sword light, refined by the domain, to become even more formidable, and the surrounding space subtly distorted and rippled.

One could imagine the power of this sword.

"Master is going to..."

Lu Qing's eyes widened in surprise at this sight.

Boom!

As soon as the thought crossed Lu Qing's mind, a thunderous roar echoed from the heavens.

The eighth tribulation thunderbolt, which had been brewing for a long time, descended.

At that moment, the old doctor unleashed a sword strike, gathering all his strength and intent.

The sword light moved at an incredible speed, intercepting the tribulation thunderbolt in mid-air before it could fully descend.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, this sword light, imbued with the old doctor's entire will and power, sliced the tribulation thunderbolt in half!

The sword light's momentum didn't diminish; it soared upwards, piercing the golden tribulation clouds, causing the entire tribulation vortex to momentarily stagnate!

Boom!

The tribulation thunderbolt, split by the old doctor's sword, didn't dissipate. Instead, it split into two halves and continued to descend.

However, its power was significantly reduced due to the consumption and the split, causing it to fall not directly onto the old doctor but beside him.

The thunderbolt struck the ground, and the thunderous light enveloped the old doctor.

But its power was within his tolerance.

"Master's ferocity!"

Lu Qing was startled by this display.

Indeed, his master's sword strike was astonishingly powerful, capable of splitting even the tribulation thunderbolt.

He estimated that even a genuine Golden Core Realm cultivator at the second level or below would have to employ special means to avoid this sword strike if caught off guard.

At the very least, someone like Li Changbo would be unable to withstand this sword light.

"Monster! Monster!"

Within the Fire Departure Cauldron, "Yan" almost popped its eyes out at the sight.

It never expected that Lu Qing, its master, who was always amiable and friendly to everyone, could be so formidable.

Even ordinary people seeking medical treatment from him were never turned away, and he treated them with utmost dedication.

Who knew that when it came to facing the tribulation, he would be so fierce?

Without a moment's hesitation, he boldly unsheathed his sword and slashed at the heavenly tribulation!

One must understand that this was the heavenly tribulation!

It was the most feared existence among countless cultivators.

In ancient times, even the most dazzling and unparalleled geniuses of the cultivation world would tremble with fear and reverence when facing the heavenly tribulation.

They feared that if they angered the will of heaven, the power of the tribulation would increase during the tribulation, and they would ultimately fail to overcome it.

Now, this person had directly slashed the tribulation with his sword, showing no fear at all.

This reminded "Yan" of how Lu Qing had also openly challenged the heavenly tribulation when crossing the Golden Core Tribulation, mocking its power.

It seemed that the two were indeed master and disciple, both incredibly bold and fearless.

"Was that sword light slashed by Senior Chen?"

Far away, Wei Shan Hai and the others were also stunned.

From such a distance, they couldn't see the old doctor's figure.

But when a massive sword light flew out, cutting through the tribulation lightning and piercing the tribulation clouds, they witnessed it all clearly.

"The one crossing the tribulation is Senior Chen; who else could it be?"

"Senior Chen uses a sword, so it must be him."

"He slashed the heavenly tribulation with his sword. Has Senior Chen's sword cultivation reached such an advanced level that he can even cut through the tribulation lightning?"

...

Wei Shan Hai and the others didn't understand the taboos of crossing the tribulation.

However, this didn't stop them from being deeply shocked by the sword slash unleashed by the old doctor.

On the crumbling mountain peak, the lightning still lingered.

But Lu Qing could sense that although his master's aura had weakened, he was holding on, which eased his worries.

His gaze remained fixed on the vortex of tribulation clouds in the sky.

Because after the eighth tribulation lightning descended, the vortex of tribulation clouds didn't dissipate, and lightning continued to flash within.

"Could there be a ninth tribulation lightning?"

Lu Qing's heart sank.

He could tell that the previous sword strike had been his master's most powerful attack.

If there was indeed a ninth tribulation lightning, he would be unable to handle it.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Lu Qing's eyes narrowed as he stared at the vortex of tribulation clouds.

He noticed that something unusual seemed to be happening within the golden tribulation clouds.

In the golden clouds, lightning was attempting to gather, but another force seemed to be subtly preventing it.

This force was also a golden light, but its color was slightly different from the golden lightning.

If one didn't look closely, it would be easy to miss this distinction.

"That force is... the light of merit!"

Lu Qing quickly recognized the origin of the golden light.

It was indeed the power of merit.

Earlier, when his master had unleashed his full strength and slashed with his sword, he had inadvertently sent out the accumulated light of merit from many years of doing good deeds, which then surged into the vortex of tribulation clouds.

Now, it seemed that the power of merit hadn't immediately dissipated; instead, it was preventing the tribulation clouds from further condensing the lightning.

"The light of merit has the ability to resolve the tribulation?"

Lu Qing stared intently at the sky, where the center of the vortex of tribulation clouds was filled with churning golden clouds, trying to gather the lightning.

However, they never succeeded, and eventually, the clouds began to slowly dissipate.

"It seems that without accumulating such dense power of merit and virtue, he wouldn't be able to dispel this final tribulation thunderbolt."

The Flame in the Li Huo Cauldron was equally stunned.

Just now, it too believed that the old man's final tribulation thunderbolt was impossible to overcome.

It had even prepared, along with Lu Qing, to protect the old man from the tribulation.

But never did it expect the final outcome to be so unexpected.

That last tribulation thunderbolt was actually dispelled by the power of merit and virtue unleashed by the old man!

This was something it had never heard of before.

There was no record of such an event in the Li Huo Sect's archives, and even in the ancient cultivation era, it had never heard of anyone achieving this.

"Wait a minute!"

"Flame" suddenly had a realization, thinking of a possible explanation.

"Those bald monks from Hanging Mountain might know this secret!"

He suddenly recalled that if there was any sect in the ancient cultivation era that understood the power of merit and virtue, it would undoubtedly be Hanging Mountain.

In fact, during that era, Hanging Mountain was indeed very keen on the power of merit and virtue.

Many accomplished monks would often find ways to travel and accumulate merit and virtue.

At that time, the cultivation world believed that Hanging Mountain did this because of their doctrines and cultivation methods.

Moreover, those who possessed the power of merit and virtue would indeed have a smoother cultivation path and be more likely to receive the favor of fate.

This led many righteous sects to also engage in slaying demons and doing good deeds to accumulate merit and virtue.

However, they didn't pursue it as fervently as Hanging Mountain.

Now it seemed that things were not as simple as they appeared.

Hanging Mountain might have discovered the power of merit and virtue's ability to weaken and dispel tribulation, which explained their intense pursuit.

With this thought, "Flame" immediately recalled some extraordinary events from the ancient cultivation era.

For instance, Hanging Mountain was one of the top sects during that time.

One distinct feature was that they had an unusually high number of Golden Core cultivators, far surpassing other sects.

Initially, people believed this was due to Hanging Mountain's unique cultivation methods, which significantly increased the success rate of their disciples' tribulation crossings.

Now, it seemed likely that their secret was the power of merit and virtue.

"It's a pity that the so-called Hanging Mountain Secret Land in this era seems to have abandoned their ancestral traditions. Instead of accumulating merit and virtue, they shelter evil forces like the Abyss Tower, marking their decline."

"Flame" immediately shared its speculation with Lu Qing.

"It's not necessarily the case that they've abandoned their ancestral traditions," Lu Qing said. "I've heard from Lin Zhirui that tens of thousands of years ago, Hanging Mountain still had a good reputation.

From time to time, high-level monks would appear, traveling the world and doing good deeds.

But at some point, they started acting arrogantly.

They even had conflicts with the Green Sheep Temple and other secret lands, rarely interacting with them.

It seems that the greatest use of the power of merit and virtue is to dispel tribulation.

However, for tens of thousands of years, the world has been in a state of spiritual energy depletion.

The entire realm can only cultivate to the Primordial Realm.

Even in the Four Great Secret Lands, the highest cultivation level achievable is the Foundation Establishment Perfection. There's no way to trigger the descent of tribulation.

So, the primary use of the power of merit and virtue has naturally become irrelevant.

Moreover, condensing the power of merit and virtue is not an easy task.

One must persistently and consistently cultivate good deeds over a long period to have a chance at refining it.

This kind of perseverance and benevolence is not something everyone can possess.

On one hand, it's extremely difficult to gather and condense, and on the other, its usefulness is limited.

It's understandable that Hanging Mountain eventually abandoned or de-emphasized this cultivation method."

Hearing Lu Qing's words, "Flame" nodded in agreement.

In fact, even during the ancient cultivation era, Hanging Mountain's actions were quite domineering.

It was only because their disciples had the habit of traveling and accumulating merit and virtue that their reputation was so positive.

But "Flame" remembered that on numerous occasions, when other sects infringed upon their interests, Hanging Mountain's methods were notoriously ruthless.

They were known in the cultivation world for their tendency to annihilate other sects, forcibly convert others, and more.

So, the Hanging Mountain of this era is a continuation of their past, and it's not accurate to say they have fallen.

"Alright, my master is about to condense his Golden Core!"

At this moment, Lu Qing suddenly spoke.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end