Chen Yuyang dashed out the door immediately, with Ling Xi close behind him.
Above the sky dome, a mass of black clouds pressed heavily over the main peak where the Hehuan Sect’s main hall stood, slowly churning and rotating.
From time to time, streaks of purple-gold lightning crackled and flashed within, accompanied by deep dragon roars.
Amidst the brilliant lightning, faint gigantic Jiaolong phantoms could be seen.
Ling Xi followed out from the room and, upon seeing the scene, was so stunned that her mouth dropped open.
Then, a wave of excitement surged within her.
“This is wonderful! Master is about to break through to the Consolidation stage. Our Hehuan Sect can finally shake off the reputation of a third-rate sect!”
However, the joy on Chen Yuyang’s face was absent; instead, he unconsciously clenched his fists and slowly uttered one word:
“Jiaoyin Thunder Tribulation!”
Cultivation is a defiance of the heavens.
After Foundation Establishment, when advancing into Golden Core, the breakthrough is usually accompanied by a thunder tribulation.
This is an extremely normal occurrence.
Ordinary thunder tribulations are nothing to fuss about.
But beyond that, there are several special kinds of tribulations.
The first of these is the Jiaoyin Thunder Tribulation.
Its characteristic is that at the moment of breakthrough, the tribulation clouds manifest the phantom of a Jiaolong; the number of lightning strikes is double that of a normal tribulation, and the intensity is tripled.
The level of danger is unquestionable.
But if one can overcome the Jiaoyin Thunder Tribulation, the body and spirit of the cultivator will be greatly tempered, and they will obtain a Jiaolong scale, developing the power of the Jiaolong.
However…“Master rushed into the breakthrough and now faces this Jiaoyin Thunder Tribulation. This tribulation crossing is unlikely to end well!”
Chen Yuyang gritted his teeth as he said.
“W-what!”
Hearing this, the joy on Ling Xi’s face vanished as well.
“Th-then what should we do?”
Chen Yuyang bit his lip, silent.
But his silence wasn’t because he had no plan — in fact, he did have a way…
Only…Chen Yuyang quietly took a deep breath and glanced sideways at the flustered Ling Xi.
No matter what, it was best to send her away first.
“Junior Sister Ling Xi, Master’s situation is dire. You should quickly go and gather the senior sisters inside the sect to discuss countermeasures.”
Ling Xi was momentarily stunned but then quickly nodded repeatedly.
“Alright, I’ll go find them immediately.”
Saying so, Ling Xi disappeared from sight.
Once Ling Xi had left, Chen Yuyang finally exhaled quietly, then swiftly turned and dashed toward the main peak of the Hehuan Sect.
Though Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot yet ride swords, they can still manipulate their Qi to fly a certain distance.
Not long after, Chen Yuyang reached the main peak and arrived at the plaza before the Hehuan Sect’s main hall.
Up close, the overwhelming might of the thunder tribulation made his scalp tingle.
He had undergone countless tribulations over a hundred lifetimes, including many Jiaoyin Thunder Tribulations, Longyin Thunder Tribulations, Jiuxiao Longyin Tribulations, and even the highest level, the Wanlong Chaozong Tribulation.
But even he had always been fully prepared, only facing the tribulation once his strength was sufficient.
At the early stage of Foundation Establishment, trying to oppose a Jiaoyin Thunder Tribulation from Consolidation-stage cultivators was simply unrealistic.
Still, Chen Yuyang never intended to help his master, Tai Lingxuan, face this tribulation head-on.
What he wanted was to assist the ill-prepared Tai Lingxuan.
His own strength was limited, and the spiritual energy was thin.
Under such circumstances, his available options were few.
Fortunately, the formation was one of them.
“Wild Dragon Devouring Heaven Formation… no, that setup requires vast spiritual energy and true dragon blood as the formation core.”
“Then… the Reverse Scale Tribulation Transformation Formation… no, I only have the ancestral dragon’s reverse scale. Using it here would be a huge waste—what family can afford such extravagance?”
“Hm—Nine Dragons Thunder Controlling Formation, this is more economical and practical…”
After quick deliberation, Chen Yuyang made his decision.
The next moment, a string of high-grade spirit stones appeared in his hands as he began swiftly moving around the main hall, quickly arranging the formation.
“Five Elements Dragon Pillars set the heavens and earth, Eight Directions Lock Thunder Gate… Nine Dragons Bite the Thunder, Winds and Clouds Rise, Thousand Calamities and Tribulations transform into Spirit Roots, I summon the ancestral dragon’s spiritual might, tempered by thunder and fire to forge the true soul…”
As he arranged the formation, Chen Yuyang softly chanted the incantation to control the Nine Dragons Thunder Controlling Formation.
Once the incantation was complete, the sixth-grade Nine Dragons Thunder Controlling Formation was fully set, having consumed a total of 360 high-grade spirit stones.
Chen Yuyang took a deep breath and pinched the void with his left hand; his index and middle fingers withdrew a blank talisman from the Subtle Consciousness Sea, then bit his tongue and used his right hand to swiftly write the Dragon Command on the talisman.
“Activate!”
Accompanied by the boy’s low shout, the talisman soared into the air and dissipated.
Its command scroll unfurled rapidly, connecting the spirit stones arranged around them.
The Nine Dragons Thunder Controlling Formation was instantly fully activated.
On the way back, Tai Lingxuan’s heart was filled with guilt.
What had come over her…Though this would indeed help Yuyang temper his will…
Tai Lingxuan understood that her true intention was not so simple.
More than anything, the reason was that she could not resist wanting to get closer to that boy, wanting… him.
Damn it…
Even though she had already hurt him, why did she still feel this way…
Returning to the main hall, Tai Lingxuan struggled to control her emotions because at this moment, the surging Pure Yang force within her demanded her utmost attention.
But as soon as she began to refine it, the unexpected happened.
Her realm broke through like a dam bursting, soaring directly from the peak of the Divine Transformation stage to perfection, then powerfully surging into the Consolidation stage.
This immediately triggered the thunder tribulation in this area.
But the problem was…Tai Lingxuan was completely unprepared for this tribulation.
Normally, cultivators sensing a breakthrough would feel the thunder tribulation one or two months in advance, allowing ample time to prepare.
But her breakthrough had been too swift, and the tribulation arrived unexpectedly, catching her off guard.
Moreover, Tai Lingxuan recognized that this was not an ordinary tribulation, but the extremely rare Jiaoyin Thunder Tribulation.
In a sense, this special tribulation was the Heavenly Dao’s recognition of a cultivator.
Only those truly extraordinary could receive such “special attention” from the Heavenly Dao’s laws.
At the same time, it was a further trial.
But at this moment, when Tai Lingxuan identified the tribulation, despair flooded her heart.
If it were just an ordinary tribulation, even unprepared, relying on the sect’s inherited seventh-grade treasure, she would still have a fifty percent chance to survive it.
But facing the Jiaoyin Thunder Tribulation…She even considered giving up the fight.
How frustrating.
Could today really be the day of her demise and Dao’s extinction?
No, it couldn’t be!
She had barely caught sight of hope for the sect’s revival in Yuyang, that child.
That boy…Had no background or power. In this cruel cultivation world, Tai Lingxuan didn’t dare imagine how much envy and covetousness Yuyang’s Haoyang constitution would attract.
As long as she was alive, she could still provide a protective world for that boy, sheltering him to some extent.
“I’ll fight you to the death.”
Gritting her teeth fiercely, Tai Lingxuan suddenly rose.
A white silk ribbon, several feet long, appeared with her movement, wrapping around her body protectively.
This was the Hehuan Sect’s heirloom, a seventh-grade supreme treasure only usable by the sect leader—the Xinglan Brocade Belt.
Woven from Xinglan silkworm threads, the belt had the power to deflect spatial forces. When fully powered, it could even withstand the full force of a Grand Success cultivator’s strike.
In the sky, within the tribulation clouds.
With a low, rumbling Jiaolong roar, the first streak of purple-gold lightning formed and solidified.
Taking a deep breath, Tai Lingxuan wielded the Xinglan Brocade Belt and stood tall, ready for a desperate fight.
But then.
A dragon’s roar shook the heavens.
A golden dragon phantom, over a hundred feet long, suddenly rose from the plaza behind the main hall and actively rushed to intercept the tribulation lightning.
The true dragon phantom simply swiped its claw and flicked its body, effortlessly tearing apart the first lightning tribulation.
Tai Lingxuan stood dumbfounded.
W-what is this?
A true dragon phantom?
Why would it appear here?
Although the Hehuan Sect had a mountain-protecting formation, it was nothing like this!
However, Tai Lingxuan soon had no time to ponder the origin of the dragon phantom.
Because as the first lightning tribulation was shredded, the second one began to form even faster.
Moreover, seemingly sensing the true dragon’s aura, the second tribulation had already begun to take the shape of a Jiaolong.
Normally, even in the Jiaoyin Thunder Tribulation, only the last one or two tribulations manifest Jiaolong lightning shadows.
The power radiating from the second tribulation was even more fearsome, making Tai Lingxuan’s complexion grow grim.
Only the second tribulation, and it was already this terrifying.
She still had sixteen more to go.
But as the second tribulation took the shape of the Jiaolong, the true dragon phantom once again lunged at it and easily shattered it.
So strong!
This true dragon phantom exerted a powerful suppressive effect on the Jiaolong-shaped tribulation shadows.
However…The third tribulation followed swiftly.
Shockingly, it manifested two intertwined Jiaolong-shaped lightning shadows, jointly lunging at the true dragon phantom.
Boom—The sky exploded with a fierce collision.
The Jiaolong lightning shadows shattered, scattering countless sparks of lightning.
The third tribulation was withstood.
But under the combined force of the two Jiaolong shadows, the true dragon phantom’s light dimmed, covered in cracks, seemingly only a step away from collapse.
Even so, this far exceeded Tai Lingxuan’s expectations.
At least it bought her a thread of hope.
But it was only a thread.
Because the most terrifying tribulations still lay ahead.
Sure enough.
The next moment, the fourth tribulation took shape.
Appearing in the sky, it was yet again two Jiaolong-shaped lightning shadows.
Tai Lingxuan gripped the edge of her robe tightly as her spiritual power surged; the space around the Xinglan Brocade Belt twisted accordingly.
Tai Lingxuan braced herself for battle.
However.
Before the Jiaolong lightning shadows could descend—
A dragon’s roar sounded.
Another true dragon phantom soared up, rushing to meet the Jiaolong tribulation.
Tai Lingxuan: “???”