Chapter Sixty: Crossing the Tribulation

The sky grew dim as the tribulation clouds relentlessly absorbed the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, their power swelling by the moment. Snakes of lightning flickered within the roiling mass. Zhou Qi’s expression was grave; he stood, donned a set of defensive artifacts—thankfully he had collected plenty of storage rings from previous battles, so defensive gear was not lacking—and drew the Immortal-Slaying Sword, staring directly at the forming heavenly tribulation. He had assumed there would be no unusual phenomenon, yet here was a thunder tribulation.

The wild beasts in the vicinity had long since fled in terror. At last, a bolt of lightning finished coalescing, then hurtled straight down toward Zhou Qi’s head. He raised the Immortal-Slaying Sword above him. The lightning struck the blade, sending a massive current through Zhou Qi’s body, leaving him numb and his hair standing on end. Blood spurted from his mouth; the blow had wounded him severely. If not for the tempering of his body through the second transformation of the Celestial Profound, he would never have survived this strike.

Hurriedly, Zhou Qi retrieved a Blood Vitality Pill to restore himself. He had not anticipated a thunder tribulation, and thus had not prepared other healing elixirs; this would have to suffice. The tribulation clouds lingered, brewing new lightning within.

The spectacle in the sky finally drew the attention of cultivators nearby. Was someone undergoing a tribulation? Several Nascent Soul cultivators swept their senses across the land and instantly spotted Zhou Qi beneath the ominous clouds.

How audacious—he had been nowhere to be found, yet dared to undergo tribulation in plain sight. With a single thought, the gathered Nascent Soul cultivators descended upon the site.

Zhou Qi barely survived another lightning strike. When he glanced up, he saw himself surrounded by a host of cultivators, all keeping their distance, including several from the Heavenly Dao Sect—Han Yuanzheng and Long Chengye among them—though most faces were unfamiliar.

“Wretch, let’s see where you run now! Once your tribulation is over, it will be your death!” Long Chengye’s eyes blazed with murderous intent.

“Did you kill my son, Ziyu?” demanded an elder in purple robes.

“Zhou Qi, surrender! Hand over your belongings to the Heavenly Dao Sect, and I will beg the sect master to spare your life,” Han Yuanzheng shouted as well.

That was it. With everyone here, there was no way out. Zhou Qi’s heart sank. “True Lord, I’m surrounded. What now?”

“Don’t worry. None of them will dare approach just yet—they fear your heavenly tribulation might trigger their own. For Nascent Soul cultivators, a tribulation is unimaginably terrifying; a single misstep leads to utter annihilation,” the Celestial Profound True Lord replied calmly.

“And afterward?” Zhou Qi pressed.

“You’ll simply be captured. Surrounded by so many Nascent Soul cultivators, what other outcome is there? I might have heaven-defying means, but your body is too weak to put them to use,” the True Lord said, helpless.

“Ice Aunt, I never obtained the Immortal Apothecary’s Mansion; the Saintess only speculated as much. Why chase me so relentlessly? As for Long Sect Master, your son Long Feiyu was not slain by my hand—you wrong me. And as for the elder in purple, I have never even met this Ziyu you speak of,” Zhou Qi replied, seeing if he could persuade them.

“Insolence! How dare you address Ice Aunt so familiarly? Whether or not you possess the Immortal Apothecary’s Mansion, a simple soul search will reveal the truth—no need for more words. Just for defiling the Saintess, your life is already forfeit,” barked a Heavenly Dao Sect cultivator. Long Chengye sneered, and the elder in purple remained unconvinced.

Zhou Qi’s heart sank further. This group would not be so easily deceived. Overhead, another bolt of lightning formed, larger and thicker than those before. It shattered his defensive gear upon impact, tearing his robes to rags and causing him to spit up more blood—his spirit faltering.

Four bolts had already struck, the tribulation clouds refusing to dissipate as they continued to draw in spiritual energy. Zhou Qi was encircled by wolves, despair settling over him.

“Ice Aunt, is there a chance this wretch won’t survive the tribulation? If he perishes, how will we find the Immortal Apothecary’s Mansion?” a Heavenly Dao Sect cultivator asked. They did not know the Mansion lay within Zhou Qi’s soul sea, only assuming he had hidden it somewhere.

Ice Aunt frowned at this. After thinking for a moment, she took out a bottle of pills and handed it to a nearby cultivator. “Give this Restoration Pill to Zhou Qi—ensure his survival, then we can deal with him.”

A Restoration Pill? The Heavenly Dao Sect cultivator was startled—wasn’t this too much of an investment? If Zhou Qi didn’t possess the Immortal Apothecary’s Mansion, wouldn’t it be a complete loss? But he voiced no objection, and called out to Zhou Qi, “Boy, to keep you from dying under the tribulation, Ice Aunt bestows upon you a bottle of Restoration Pills. These are exceedingly precious—one pill will restore you to peak condition and help you overcome your tribulation. Catch!” With that, he tossed the bottle over.

Zhou Qi caught the pills, half-doubting. “Would you really be so generous? Is there some hidden trick?”

Ice Aunt was so amused she almost laughed—against a newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator, would she need any tricks? She did not bother answering, deeming him beneath her notice.

A Heavenly Dao Sect cultivator nearby snapped, “To deal with a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, why bother? We just don’t want you dying to the lightning, so we can’t find the Immortal Apothecary’s Mansion.”

As expected, they harbored no good intentions. “The pill is safe—take it,” came the True Lord’s voice.

Zhou Qi said no more, swallowed a pill, and instantly felt his body restored. Joy filled him—this was a treasure he must learn to make, if only the Immortal Apothecary’s Mansion contained the recipe.

Seeing Zhou Qi take the pill, the assembled cultivators relaxed. Now they need not fear him dying to the heavenly tribulation; they would simply wait for it to end and subdue him at once, giving him no chance to escape.

Thus began a six-day vigil. With the Restoration Pills, Zhou Qi no longer feared the tribulation’s wounds—as long as each strike didn’t kill him outright, he could recover, and there were plenty of pills left.

For six days, the tribulation raged without pause, the clouds hovering above, sending down bolts at intervals. This tribulation was bizarre, unlike any they had heard of before. Yet the patience of cultivators is long—for those who can meditate for centuries, what is six days?

Could this tribulation last seven days? Zhou Qi wondered. During these six days, each time the tribulation paused, he tried to reason with the crowd, but none would listen, leaving him to mutter alone.

If his guess was right, he had but one more day—the moment the tribulation ended, so would his life. Since they feared his heavenly tribulation, perhaps he could drag a few down with him—starting with Long Chengye.

The True Lord was startled by this idea. The tribulation for Nascent Soul cultivators was so terrifying that Zhou Qi would likely be reduced to ashes before harming anyone else.

“Since you intend to kill me after my tribulation, then let’s face it together!” declared Zhou Qi, then used his divine movement technique to charge at Long Chengye.

Long Chengye was shocked—not expecting Zhou Qi to try to take him down as well. But as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, how could Zhou Qi catch him? The instant Zhou Qi moved, Long Chengye vanished from sight.

Unable to catch Long Chengye, Zhou Qi turned on the others. The tribulation clouds hovered above him, following wherever he went and striking him with lightning at intervals. Zhou Qi swallowed another Restoration Pill and persisted, but could not catch anyone—everyone kept a careful distance.

Whenever Zhou Qi advanced, the crowd retreated; when he withdrew, they advanced.