Chapter 342: Heavenly Tribulation Summons the Bull

Xu Qing was very satisfied with the shadow's promotion. The secret art created by its fusion with him astonished him even more. This could essentially be considered a trump card, remarkably similar to the secret art unleashed by the Red Maiden he encountered previously. The only difference was that the Red Maiden summoned battle souls into her body, while Xu Qing transformed himself into a pure and ultimate body refiner.

“Now, my life lamp and poison are no longer secrets. Therefore, my first layer of secret at this moment is the existence of the shadow, and the Red Maiden's weapon also provided me with a basis. Should the shadow be exposed in the future, I will use this method to conceal it, so it won't attract too much attention. My second layer of secret involves the Nine Springs Below and the shadow's secret technique. The former is fine, but for the latter, I need to devise a pseudo-incantation to recite during combat, which will mask it and allow for a surprise effect at some point in the future. The third layer of secret is my ability to generate anomalies. Finally, the fourth layer of secret remains the purple crystal.” Xu Qing calmed his mind, and as his heart grew more settled, his gaze swept over the coffin-shaped shadow. “I wonder what form the shadow will take after its next promotion?”

The form the shadow had taken this time undoubtedly held more peculiarities in Xu Qing's view, but now was not the time to inquire, as the shadow often described things unclearly. At this moment, Xu Qing thought of the Vajra Sect Ancestor and looked over.

The Vajra Sect Ancestor was currently in a miserable state. His body trembled, countless bolts of lightning coursed over him, occasionally burrowing into his body and re-emerging, causing him to cry out in agony at times. But the Ancestor still desired dignity. Amidst the intense pain, he saw the shadow's provocative gaze and Xu Qing's expectant eyes, which instantly filled the Ancestor's eyes with madness.

He was now a lightning spirit, and originally needed more time to cultivate before he could gather the tribulation lightning for spirit-to-soul transformation and attempt to withstand its baptism. But now, he couldn't afford to wait. Leveraging the rapid progress gained from devouring the mirror's artifact spirit, he mobilized all his lightning power, let out a mournful roar to the sky, formed a hand seal, and pointed upwards. "Tribulation, come!"

The next instant, countless bolts of lightning erupted from the Vajra Sect Ancestor, forming a dazzling brilliance that shot directly into the earth above. The lightning pierced through the earth, forming countless arcing electric lights in the canyon outside, eventually converging into a massive river of lightning that surged towards the sky. The rumbling black clouds in the sky were pierced by this river of lightning. As they violently churned, an earth-shattering muffled thunder suddenly exploded within the clouds above. As the booming sound echoed, streaks of red lightning darted within the clouds, quickly coalescing into a single crimson bolt. As if imbued with some ultimate intent, it descended abruptly. It plunged directly towards the earth, towards the canyon, and towards the deep underground cave. It arrived with a resounding crash.

Meanwhile, within the Sword Restriction Zone, some distance from Xu Qing's breakthrough location, the Captain was fleeing frantically through the forest at an astonishing speed. Wherever he passed, an icy aura spread, freezing everything behind him. His face was flushed, his eyes gleamed, and a nervous laugh escaped his lips. In his hand, he held a red fruit, taking a large bite as he laughed. "Good stuff, good stuff! An incredibly sacred fruit born from ultimate anomaly and wickedness! This thing thrives in adversity; it must be extraordinary. I smelled it from miles away, hahahaha... Oh, crap!"

Amidst his laughter, a faint glow suddenly shot out from behind him, arriving instantly and sweeping like a sharp blade. Trees it touched instantly shattered. It was now close, about to strike the Captain, but he twisted his body in a strange way, rapidly dodging. Still, some of his hair was cleanly severed. It passed right by his scalp. The Captain took a breath, threw the fruit into his mouth and swallowed it. Without looking back, he accelerated his escape. Suddenly, he saw lightning in the extremely distant sky and heard faint rumbling thunder, and his eyes lit up again! "Another treasure? Should I go or not? It's a bit dangerous behind me, especially since their patriarch seems provoked by me and is about to wake up. So stingy."

As he spoke, the Captain hesitated, then finally gritted his teeth and changed direction, rushing towards it. He felt that if he let this pass, he would definitely regret it later. In that case, he might as well go and see. As long as he was fast enough, he might be able to kill two birds with one stone. As for the patriarch of the other tribe, he had sensed earlier that the individual clearly bore old injuries, and awakening would not be easy. Moreover, there were some restrictions set up by the myriad races there, seemingly to prevent that individual from escaping. "Could it be one of the subordinates who once ventured out with the Emperor of the Forbidden Zone? All of them were suppressed by the myriad races of Feng Hai County. Although they escaped back and have been recovering from injuries, they were still pursued by the myriad races, who reinforced the restrictions, making this forbidden zone a prison?" "The Sword Restriction Zone, a prison?" The Captain was deep in thought. He recalled another name for this forbidden zone. As he ran, he took out another red fruit and took a bite.

Behind him, the ground trembled, trees collapsed, and a group of six-armed giants were striding with fury in pursuit. These giants were almost thirty feet tall, with bluish skin and enormous ears. Most strikingly, their earlobes were adorned. Numerous bells were tethered there, emitting clear ringing sounds. It was as if they had grown together with the giants, and the faint glow seen earlier had emanated from these bells. These were precisely the special tribe born within the forbidden zone. At this moment, each of them pursued relentlessly, their eyes filled with madness and killing intent. More than a dozen of them were at the Golden Core realm. Even more astonishing was the faint aura of recovery emanating from their tribal land behind them, the place where the Captain had fled from. It seemed as though a powerful cultivator was awakening.

While the frantic pursuit unfolded outside, within the canyon, Xu Qing intently watched the Vajra Sect Ancestor.

He saw countless bolts of red lightning, imbued with ultimate intent, suddenly emerge from the earth, roaring as they shot directly towards the Vajra Sect Ancestor. The Ancestor's body trembled, and he let out a mournful shriek. Countless red lightning bolts enveloped him, constantly destroying him while simultaneously stimulating his spirit body, causing it to rapidly generate a large amount of red light. His physical body was transforming from an artifact spirit into an artifact soul. This light permeated the Ancestor's tattered body, making him appear extremely dishevelled and on the verge of death. Yet, these red lightning bolts made all of Little Shadow's eyes contract, revealing a serious expression. But it quickly reacted, deciding that this was not good, and reverted to its disdainful look. Xu Qing also perceived the extraordinary nature of the red lightning. As a sharp glint appeared in his eyes, the lightning faintly dispersed, and the Ancestor's shrieks turned into low growls, his madness intensifying.

He had successfully endured the first wave of the heavenly tribulation. Now, he quickly sat cross-legged, continuously circulating the red light within his body to prepare for the next wave. However, he was extremely weak and tottering, making it incredibly difficult to survive the second wave of tribulation.

As Xu Qing pondered, the sky roared again, as if an angry roar emanated from it. Then, more streaks of blood-red light spread through the clouds, and the second heavenly tribulation abruptly descended. Countless red lightning bolts formed crimson thunder, descending once more, piercing through the earth and about to strike the Vajra Sect Ancestor. The Vajra Sect Ancestor opened his eyes, despair in their depths, and then Xu Qing moved.

He stepped forward, instantly appearing above the Vajra Sect Ancestor, raising his right hand and pressing upwards. Immediately, his two Heavenly Canopies manifested, transforming into a celestial palace to block the lightning. Amidst the booming, Xu Qing's body trembled. He felt the destructive sensation emanating from the ultimate intent contained within the red lightning, and also felt his own canopies subtly counteracting it, continuously offsetting each other. He also tried to absorb it, but couldn't; there was no method to contain it. "This tribulation's crimson thunder obliterates the soul and annihilates the body." "You Lingzi's promotion is quite interesting." Xu Qing murmured. This method of artifact spirit promotion was something Xu Qing had only ever seen with the Vajra Sect Ancestor.

Seeing that the Vajra Sect Ancestor had recovered somewhat, Xu Qing pondered, then looked down at him. "Do you want to continue?" "Master, I..." The Vajra Sect Ancestor was about to say he couldn't, but upon noticing the disdain and hostility in Little Shadow's myriad eyes beside him, he gritted his teeth and roared. "I can!"

Xu Qing nodded, stepping back and no longer blocking the red lightning, which had already been largely dissipated. The next instant, the lightning abruptly descended, striking directly at the Vajra Sect Ancestor. The Vajra Sect Ancestor let out a low growl, gritting his teeth to face it. As the lightning struck, his body trembled even more, and he dimmed again, his form dissolving. It seemed he couldn't endure it even like this. The sensation of death emerged in his mind. The Vajra Sect Ancestor gave a bitter laugh. His life had been cautious; he handled matters carefully. If he provoked enemies, he would attack with full force, even at great cost, to eliminate them. If that failed, he would rather relocate his sect to avoid them. Even when facing life or death again, he would grit his teeth and resolve it himself, even kneeling as a slave without hesitation, all just to survive. But now, he despaired. Amidst the pervasive redness, amidst the spreading lightning and his own dissipation, the Vajra Sect Ancestor let out a frantic, bitter laugh. He was unwilling; he suddenly felt an intense regret. What he regretted was not attempting the breakthrough. He regretted why he hadn't pushed himself more when he was young. In his early years, in order to survive, he dared not risk his life to seize resources, thus being unable to quickly ignite his life flame. He could only, through those stories, fantasize about becoming the protagonist within them, about becoming that person, rising from obscurity to the pinnacle of success. "I, You Lingzi, am also a person of aptitude!" The Vajra Sect Ancestor looked up at Xu Qing, speaking with a tragic expression. "Demon Xu, I, You Lingzi, am also someone destined for great fortune! Old Demon Xu, I, You Lingzi, was not born to be a slave! How did it... come to this?" Recalling now, he felt unwilling, and his emotions fluctuated violently, overwhelmed by despair, madness, and regret. Especially feeling that he was about to die, he no longer cared about many unspoken words. This despair, intensified by the approach of death, became extreme. The madness was likewise, and the regret even more so.

Xu Qing looked at the Vajra Sect Ancestor, sighed inwardly, and was about to intervene to try and resolve the situation for him. But just then, at the precise moment before the Vajra Sect Ancestor's death, when his emotions were at an extreme, all the red lightning within his body suddenly paused. After this pause, they seemed to resonate with the Vajra Sect Ancestor in some way, as if meeting the conditions for absorption. Instantly, these lightning bolts converged directly within the Vajra Sect Ancestor's body. After circulating once, all the dissipated parts of his body regrew. But they were red! At this moment, seventy percent of the Vajra Sect Ancestor's body was blood-red, with the remaining thirty percent being normal. This indicated that his promotion was seventy percent complete. Thirty percent was spirit, seventy percent was soul. The heavenly tribulation dispersed. The promotion was both a failure and a success.

The Vajra Sect Ancestor froze, looking down at his body with a bewildered expression. Then it turned into ecstasy, but the next moment, he remembered his previous roars, and his face instantly turned pale again. His mind was incredibly tense, his body trembled, and he looked up at Xu Qing anxiously, showing an expression uglier than crying. "Um... Master, actually, what I said just now was required by the cultivation technique. It's the most crucial step in breaking through; I had to say those things... In reality, the time this little one has spent following Master has been the happiest time of my life. Master... please don't take it seriously." The shadow nearby revealed a sinister grin, swaying its body as if shaking its head.