Chapter 2369: Heavenly Sound

The Human World.

The power of heaven was immense.

Above the ice mountain, wind and thunder converged; the Heavenly Tribulation was imminent!

The little Qilin was still lying on the ground, its entire body ablaze with Qilin demon fire, having transformed into a ball of flame.

The fiery ball on the mountain peak glowed exceptionally bright under the dim sky, turning the towering ice mountain into a torch.

Qin Sang and Zhu Que had already retreated, both gazing at the flames beneath the tribulation clouds with solemn expressions.

They had not anticipated the little Qilin would attract a Heavenly Tribulation. Unprepared and rushed, it would have to face the trial on its own.

Since its birth, the little Qilin had stayed by Qin Sang's side, lacking opportunities for combat against others. Fortunately, it had been raised primarily by Zhu Que, receiving numerous pointers while being 'tormented' by her, so its strength was actually quite considerable. Transcending a tribulation was the most direct confrontation between a cultivator and the might of heaven; technique was secondary. Therefore, Qin Sang and Zhu Que were not particularly worried about the initial 'Three Calamities,' but solely about its 'Inner Demon Tribulation.'

Thankfully, the little Qilin was naive and innocent, unacquainted with worldly affairs. Generally, such a mindset offered an advantage when facing inner demons.

"It's coming..." Zhu Que whispered.

Before her words faded, dark flames descended from the sky, making the surroundings grow even dimmer. The Qilin demon fire was engulfed by these dark flames, yet its intensity seemed to grow stronger.

The boundless dark flames resembled ferocious beasts, viewing the little Qilin as tempting prey and scrambling to pounce on it.

Despite being besieged by the dark flames, the Qilin demon fire appeared increasingly pure. The Heavenly Tribulation, far from instilling fear in the little Qilin, seemed to serve as a whetstone, refining and purifying it through continuous tempering, leading to significant transformations one after another.

Observing the little Qilin's performance, both Qin Sang and Zhu Que showed expressions of relief. As long as it maintained this momentum, surviving the Three Calamities wouldn't be an issue.

The tribulation clouds churned high above, brewing the next Heavenly Tribulation.

Qin Sang looked up at the sky, his gaze as sharp as a knife, seemingly capable of piercing through the tribulation clouds.

"What's wrong?" Zhu Que noticed Qin Sang's unusual behavior.

Qin Sang shook his head slightly. He couldn't quite explain it, but ever since the little Qilin began its tribulation, something felt off.

The familiar might of heaven, the familiar tribulation clouds, and the dark flame tribulation were all perfectly normal. The little Qilin also showed no anomalies.

Was he overthinking it...?

Qin Sang's gaze swept back and forth. Perhaps it was the little Qilin's unusual Heavenly Tribulation that subconsciously triggered his suspicion. Even Zhu Que couldn't understand this issue; perhaps only the Qilin from before its rebirth would know.

Qin Sang's thoughts raced as he intently watched the changes in the tribulation clouds.

Soon after, the little Qilin successfully endured the dark flame tribulation. A violent wind then swept in, continuing to refine its Qilin demon fire.

The little Qilin's performance exceeded their expectations. After all, it was a divine Qilin beast, inherently blessed.

Dark flames, violent winds, heavenly lightning... The Three Calamities followed one after another.

"Boom!" "Boom!" Above the ice mountain, lightning flashed like a forest, and electric light poured down like rain. Golden tribulation lightning bolts fiercely struck the little Qilin. The Qilin demon fire staunchly resisted the lightning, but the ice mountain, unable to bear the burden, groaned with muffled sounds.

"Crack!" The lingering energy of the tribulation lightning dispersed, tearing apart the ice peaks. Huge chunks of ice continuously peeled off the mountain, crashing into the deep valley below.

Visible cracks appeared on the ice cliff, rapidly spreading downwards. These tree-like fissures nearly spanned the entire ice wall, giving it a precarious, ready-to-topple appearance. By the time the little Qilin completed its Heavenly Tribulation, the ice mountain would likely collapse.

A rumble of thunder emanated from the tribulation clouds, and the tribulation lightning began to converge madly towards the center, signaling the imminent arrival of the final lightning strike.

As the tribulation clouds contracted, the clear sky gradually reappeared.

"Boom!" The tribulation lightning finally materialized, a massive pillar of thunder piercing through the clouds, descending with terrifying heavenly might directly onto the ice mountain.

A brilliant golden light illuminated Qin Sang's face, revealing an expression of utter shock!

Just as the tribulation lightning struck, Qin Sang suddenly saw a flash of golden light appear above the tribulation clouds.

The origin of the golden light was unknown, yet its brilliance was no less than that of the tribulation lightning. It seemed to pierce through the void, instantly transforming into a golden cloud, like a canopy, directly above the little Qilin.

At that precise moment, the tribulation lightning struck the little Qilin squarely.

The Qilin demon fire was almost dispersed by the tribulation lightning, but it did not extinguish and immediately launched a counterattack.

"Whoosh!" The tribulation clouds were at their limit; the flames surged against the current, engulfing the golden lightning. Fierce fires burned the sky, transforming the space above the ice mountain into a sea of flames.

Suddenly, a voice filled with surprise echoed from within the golden cloud.

"A Qilin?" The voice seemed to come from an immense distance, somewhat ethereal, yet it resonated like a divine sound, deeply stirring.

Qin Sang and Zhu Que's expressions changed drastically. Just from that voice, he felt a terrifying pressure. Regardless of how its owner achieved this, it was certainly an existence they could not contend with!

The golden cloud high in the sky shifted erratically, seemingly about to transform into a colossal golden eye, staring downwards.

Just then, a figure suddenly flickered into existence behind Qin Sang – it was the Thunder Beast War Guard. The Thunder Beast War Guard looked up at the golden cloud, and one of its eyes glowed with a mesmerizing radiance.

Deep within its eye, a teal thunder paper was sealed. Lightning constantly pulsed across the paper's surface; these seemingly fine threads of lightning contained terrifying power.

Previously, this thunder paper had remained dormant within the Thunder Beast War Guard. Now, with a slight tremor, it floated out from the War Guard's pupil.

"Roar!" The Thunder Beast War Guard let out a low growl, its entire body erupting with lightning, and the Thunder Vow Scroll detached from its form.

The instant the Thunder Vow Scroll manifested, it triggered a resonance between heaven and earth. The tribulation lightning had not yet dissipated, yet new lightning was generated, and the world's primordial energy completely erupted into chaos.

Rolling heavenly thunder, boundless and ceaseless, lightning stretched endlessly. Countless bolts of lightning were born from thin air, clearly attracted by the Thunder Vow Scroll. Innumerable thunder snakes and electric pythons soared through the high skies, surging from distant horizons, bringing with them a majestic thunderous might that could shatter heaven and earth, their momentum even more terrifying than the tribulation lightning itself.

This Thunder Vow Scroll had been sealed within the Thunder Beast War Guard beforehand, thus eliminating the cumbersome need for altar activation. With just a thought from Qin Sang and full cooperation from the Thunder Beast War Guard, it could be instantly unleashed.

However, the might of the Thunder Vow Scroll at this moment was in no way inferior to when it was activated with the aid of a thunder altar.

The Thunder Vow Scroll, flanked by myriad bolts of lightning, drifted towards the golden cloud. Its speed appeared slow but was actually rapid, reaching the golden cloud in an instant.

A low shout emanated from the golden cloud, which then changed violently, evolving wildly, almost forming the outline of a giant eye.

The outline of the golden giant eye subtly turned towards Qin Sang, as if trying to discern the origin of the Thunder Vow Scroll. But the Scroll had already imprinted itself, followed by countless bolts of lightning, which furiously plunged into the golden cloud.

"Rumble!" The golden cloud suddenly split apart, instantly tearing into pieces, resulting in an earth-shattering explosion.

The Thunder Vow Scroll erupted. Under the bombardment of countless lightning bolts, the golden cloud shattered, and the giant eye was ripped apart before it could fully form.

Dazzling lightning illuminated the sky, lingering for a long time. The powerful pressure, however, was gone, dissipating along with the golden cloud.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The power of the Thunder Vow Scroll had not yet been exhausted; its residual energy transformed into streaks of lightning that struck the ground.

Rain-like lightning hammered the ice plain, causing the ice sheets to burst apart, leaving them riddled with holes and exposing the permafrost beneath.

The long-overburdened ice mountain collapsed with a roar, and surrounding ice and snow mountains were also destroyed one after another, a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions.

Amidst the forest of lightning, a sword light enveloped the little Qilin. When Qin Sang unleashed the Thunder Vow Scroll, he had also summoned the Gray Oriole Sword to protect it from the lingering destructive energy.

The lightning gradually subsided.

Qin Sang panted heavily, his gaze still fixed on the spot where the golden cloud had appeared.

He hadn't expected that the little Qilin's tribulation would attract such prying eyes, forcing him to use his ultimate trump card here.

The sudden turn of events was too rapid for him to consider much. Behind the golden cloud was likely a powerful demon-race cultivator; from a fleeting glimpse and the aura, it was highly probable an Ancestral Demon.

He had inquired with Patriarch Meishan and Immortal Wutu, confirming that this was not an Ancestral Demon's territory. Yet, he still managed to alert a powerful demon-race cultivator. The Ancestral Demon's true form was likely still in a very distant location, using some unknown divine ability to peer into this area.

The other party was clearly very interested in the little Qilin, and they could not easily surrender it. Therefore, Qin Sang not only needed to cut off the scrying but also to make the opponent hesitant to pursue them casually.

There was only one way: unleash the Thunder Vow Scroll and feign being another existence of Ancestral Demon level.

This was Qin Sang's instantaneous decision, and without hesitation, he summoned the Thunder Beast War Guard.

Qin Sang suspected that the Ancestral Demon might be Ancestral Demon Guizang. Ancestral Demon Guizang had presumably already received reports from the Crying God Guards and was perhaps using a divine ability to search for his whereabouts, coincidentally sensing the Heavenly Tribulation and turning his attention this way.

Unfortunately, he didn't understand Ancestral Demon Guizang's origins, so he couldn't confirm if this was indeed Ancestral Demon Guizang's doing.

If it was Ancestral Demon Guizang, to be able to scry this far from such a distance, the divine abilities of an Ancestral Demon were truly terrifying.

A mere fourth-tier thunder talisman could not genuinely be used to contend with an Ancestral Demon, so deploying it here was perhaps the best strategy.

He only hoped the Thunder Vow Scroll would make Ancestral Demon Guizang wary.

"What's going on? Is Ancestral Demon Guizang pursuing us?" Zhu Que finally reacted to the series of abrupt changes, quickly flying to Qin Sang's shoulder, her neck tucked in, and squawking loudly.

Qin Sang regained his composure, glanced at the listless Thunder Beast War Guard, put it away, and then, controlling a sword light that enveloped the little Qilin, flew back.

"Ah!" The little Qilin suddenly opened its mouth wide and stretched luxuriously, as if it had just had a pleasant dream.

It had been immersed in its Inner Demon Tribulation, completely oblivious to what had transpired outside.

The moment it opened its eyes and saw Qin Sang, the little Qilin instantly beamed with joy. It leaped up and rushed to Qin Sang, rubbing its fluffy head against his leg, just as always, completely lacking the dignified demeanor expected of a Divine Beast in the Soul Forging stage.

"Let's go!" Qin Sang was still somewhat unsettled. The Thunder Vow Scroll might not have been enough to deter the Ancestral Demon, so they needed to leave as quickly as possible.

He dared not continue eastward, instead turning north, planning to hide in the depths of the ice plain first.

"Have either of you ever heard of something like this?" On a snow mountain, Qin Sang flew there in one breath to rest temporarily, then summoned Patriarch Meishan and Immortal Wutu.

Since an Ancestral Demon could scry from such a distance, any demon cultivator undergoing tribulation within their territory likely couldn't escape their notice. Ancestral Demons who sought to establish strong forces would undoubtedly appear at such times to recruit.

Patriarch Meishan and Immortal Wutu exchanged glances, both shaking their heads to indicate they had not heard of it.

"I have cultivated in Meishan since childhood and also underwent my tribulation there. The original Meishan mountain lord perished for some reason, and I naturally took over Meishan," Patriarch Meishan said, then asked Immortal Wutu, "I heard Fellow Daoist Wu was originally born in the wilderness. How did you eventually become the Wutu mountain lord?"

After interacting for some time, Qin Sang gained a deeper understanding of this world through Patriarch Meishan and Immortal Wutu.

Even outside the Arctic Ice Plain, the Six Heavens Old Qi still persisted. Though less concentrated than in the ice plain, it still affected living beings.

The 'wilderness' Patriarch Meishan referred to was where the Six Heavens Old Qi ran rampant. It was no different from the Arctic Ice Plain, an untamed jungle teeming with countless ferocious and volatile demons, occupying the vast majority of the land.

However, unlike the Arctic Ice Plain, this region contained many blessed immortal mountains like Meishan and Wutu Mountain. Potentially powerful fierce demons had the chance to be guided into these mountains and set on the right path.

As for how this was accomplished, the two mountain lords themselves couldn't say for certain, surmising it was the work of an Ancestral Demon. Thus, demon cultivators here couldn't simply claim a mountain and become a king; they needed to gain the Ancestral Demon's approval. Some Ancestral Demons used strict methods to control their demon kings, while Ancestral Demon Yunshuang was known for being the most benevolent.

Of course, if one wished not to be bound, they could choose not to submit to an Ancestral Demon. Various methods for dealing with the Six Heavens Old Qi circulated among demon cultivators, but their effectiveness varied. Only by cultivating in such specific locations could the influence of the Six Heavens Old Qi be completely eliminated.

"I was fortunate enough to be noticed by one of Ancestral Demon Yunshuang's close guards. Unfortunately, the senior who guided me met an unexpected demise. Without that backing, I was left at Wutu Mountain," Immortal Wutu lamented.

Whether in the Arctic Ice Plain or the wilderness beyond, those who cultivated to the Soul Forging stage purely on their own were ultimately very few. These demon kings were often chosen much earlier.

Patriarch Meishan seemed to recall something and said, "I remember hearing a rumor once... It was said that in the far southern lands, if a demon beast attained enlightenment through cultivation, it would receive a 'guidance'."

"'Guidance'?" Qin Sang's heart stirred. "Where would they be guided to?"

Patriarch Meishan shook her head, stating she didn't know, only that it was hearsay.

Qin Sang pondered silently. Now that he thought about it, he felt that the golden cloud didn't seem like a technique an Ancestral Demon would possess. He had encountered more than one Integration stage mighty figure and wasn't entirely ignorant of their divine abilities.

Could the golden cloud itself be a form of 'guidance'?

"'Guidance'..." Qin Sang repeated the word, his mind filled with questions.

Where exactly was he?

If this were a minor realm, could there truly be one capable of accommodating so many Ancestral Demons?

A distant land. Inside an unknown grand hall.

An elder sat cross-legged above a jade platform. The platform beneath him was pure white, like the most pristine substance in the world.

The jade platform emitted a milky white glow, which now slowly receded, revealing the elder's gaunt face.

A moment later, the elder suddenly awoke. He looked at the jade platform beneath him, his brows gradually furrowing, his mind filled with doubt and surprise.

"A Qilin... Is it about to be born again?" The elder sighed softly.

Sensing movement outside the hall, the elder's expression returned to normal. He rose and walked out, seeing a scholar holding a jade fan standing outside.

The scholar gently fanned himself with the jade fan, glanced into the hall, and smiled, "Congratulations, Brother Mu, you've guided another promising talent."

The elder shook his head. "Unfortunately, it was rejected."