Chapter 507: Divine Sword Controlling Thunder

The great battle between the Divine Wood Sect and the Southern Mystical Sect was the most intense confrontation since the two sects had entered a standoff.

Four Core Formation cultivators, dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and nearly ten thousand Qi Refinement cultivators clashed on the wilderness outside North Abyss City for three days and three nights straight.

Originally intended as a probing battle by both sides, it ultimately resulted in significant casualties for each.

After this battle, both sides returned to a state of calm and resumed their prolonged standoff. Occasionally, cultivators would hunt each other on the front lines to plunder resources for future cultivation.

The four Core Formation cultivators also engaged in three more fierce battles afterwards.

Among them, Fu Zongjue, with the lowest cultivation, suffered the most severe losses. One of his third-tier Golden Sun Puppets was shattered by Zhao Xuankang's Dragon-Beating Whip. If Mo Douguang hadn't arrived in time to save him, he would have had no choice but to expose his semi-finished Purple Sun Puppet.

In the series of subsequent probes, both sides sensed the killing intent from the other growing stronger.

It seemed the decisive battle was not far off!

Five Willows Mountain.

In the past, before North Abyss City was established, this was the Divine Wood Sect army's garrison in Yan Country, and it was exceptionally prosperous.

However, after the Southern Mystical Sect established the Treasure Radiance Market, only a few Divine Wood Sect disciples guarding the spirit fields and hired rogue cultivator spirit planters remained here.

Not long ago, Yue Zutao, citing the war as a reason, conscripted and relocated everyone from here to North Abyss City.

Subsequently, Chen Mobai brought his people here.

On this day, Fu Zongjue brought a third-tier Golden Sun Spirit Tree seed and began directing Tie Qingshan, Zhou Bingyan, and others to set up.

"Although it's merely a third-tier defensive formation, with this mountain-suppressing stone, it possesses the power of a peak third-tier formation. Helping you through your tribulation should be no problem," Fu Zongjue said to Chen Mobai in mid-air.

The last time Chen Mobai displayed his Core Formation realm, he truthfully stated that he had not yet undergone the Heavenly Tribulation.

Upon hearing this, Fu Zongjue was greatly shocked.

In his knowledge, how could one succeed in Core Formation without undergoing a tribulation?

Could it be another secret art of the ancient Everlasting Sect!

But this time, Chen Mobai didn't attribute it to the Divine Tree Secret Realm but directly mentioned the Origin Returning Secret Art.

"So that's how it is, worthy of a sect that once produced Core Formation cultivators."

In his youth, Fu Zongjue was a true disciple of the Five Elements Sect and had heard of the Origin Returning Sect, but he truly hadn't known that such a powerful secret art existed within that sect.

After learning that Chen Mobai had not yet undergone his Core Formation Heavenly Tribulation, Fu Zongjue began making arrangements for it.

And thus, today's third-tier Heavenly Wood Divine Light Formation came into being.

After the formation was set up, Chen Mobai entered it and began to meditate with closed eyes. He wanted to resolve this hidden danger before the decisive battle with the Southern Mystical Sect.

Only then could he face the Southern Mystical Sect's Core Formation cultivators at his peak.

As the Origin Returning Secret Art circulated, the vast pure yang spiritual energy stored within his Myriad Dharma Body slowly began to return to his Dantian Sea of Qi, and a terrifying aura, surpassing that of Foundation Establishment, began to emerge.

In the sky, threads of lightning began to flicker. Tie Qingshan and the others standing at the foot of Five Willows Mountain felt an indescribable sense of oppression at this moment.

The weaker Qi Refinement disciples of the Divine Wood Sect even felt their legs give way, wanting to prostrate themselves before the majestic heavenly might.

Even Zhou Bingyan, a true disciple, turned pale, felt her heart pound, and instinctively retreated, wishing to distance herself from the Heavenly Tribulation's range.

"Stand behind me," Fu Zongjue's puppet body spoke softly, and a stream of purple-gold energy surged forth, forming a light shield that stood in front.

Zhou Bingyan and the others immediately took shelter.

Tie Qingshan hesitated slightly, thinking that as the top Foundation Establishment cultivator in Xiao Country, he also held a glimmer of hope for Core Formation, and wanted to seize this opportunity to witness just how terrifying a Core Formation Heavenly Tribulation truly was.

Boom!

At that moment, a clear, jade-like bolt of lightning lit up in mid-air, and in an instant, an bone-chilling cold, making Tie Qingshan's entire body turn cold and his hair stand on end, washed over him.

A snowflake, unnoticed until now, landed on Tie Qingshan's head. The snowflake was pure white, six-sided, and looked very beautiful, but it contained an extreme chill that caused Tie Qingshan's expression to change dramatically.

"Junior Brother Chen achieved Core Formation by rotating between the Everlasting Life Sutra and the Scarlet Flame Sword Art, forming two phases. Now that the Scarlet Flame spiritual energy has consumed all the Everlasting spiritual energy, it has become extremely yang and utterly rigid. Thus, the Core Formation Heavenly Tribulation will trigger yin-cold tribulation lightning," Fu Zongjue commented, like an experienced veteran.

At this moment, Tie Qingshan had already pushed his body-forging technique to its limit. After feeling it for a while, he immediately abandoned his pride and also hid behind Fu Zongjue.

"Even if I cultivate to Foundation Establishment Completion, there's no way I could ever pass such a Heavenly Tribulation."

Tie Qingshan's heart was filled with gloom. He was less than two hundred years old and already in the late Foundation Establishment stage. He had believed it was possible to glimpse the mysteries of Core Formation before his demise.

But today's experience had completely shattered his confidence.

Not only him, but also Zhou Bingyan and other Divine Wood Sect disciples shared the same mindset. While lamenting the terrifying nature of the Heavenly Tribulation, they were also exceptionally excited that their ancestor Chen could actually contend with such heavenly might.

They all prayed inwardly for Chen Mobai, hoping he could successfully pass the tribulation!

However, Chen Mobai, at the summit of Five Willows Mountain, was completely different from the state of tension they imagined.

He was always cautious in his actions. Although Fu Zongjue had personally set up the Heavenly Wood Divine Light Formation for him this time and even incorporated a precious mountain-suppressing stone, to ensure 100% success, he still took out his Purple Lightning Sword.

With a top-grade fourth-tier sword in hand, the sense of security was indescribable.

Just as Chen Mobai was wondering how many high-grade spirit stones he should offer the Purple Lightning Sword to achieve resonance with it and cut through the Heavenly Tribulation, it, instead, first conveyed an excited emotion.

"Master, master, where are you right now? Why is there such dense lightning essence?"

"Didn't I tell you last time? The Immortal Gate is initiating a war, and I'm the vanguard. I came to this foreign world, but who knew I'd encounter this as soon as I entered..." Chen Mobai continued with his previous excuse. The Purple Lightning Sword's sentience was equivalent to that of a few-year-old child; it didn't doubt his words and directly stated its desire.

"Master, master, can I eat some? Absorbing spirit stones requires conversion, but these are most suitable for nurturing my lightning essence..." The Purple Lightning Sword trembled lightly in Chen Mobai's hand, expressing its desire.

"Go on, if you want to eat, you can have it all."

This was, in fact, a good thing for Chen Mobai. He released his grip on the Purple Lightning Sword, and the shimmering purple longsword instantly shot up into the sky with a whoosh.

In an instant, the extremely cold, cyan yin-lightning that had made Tie Qingshan and the others tremble was suddenly absorbed by the Purple Lightning Sword, like a long whale drinking water.

Wherever the sword passed, yin clouds dispersed, and tribulation lightning vanished.

In just a blink of an eye, the dark clouds of tribulation lightning that had originally enveloped the entire summit of Five Willows Mountain were torn open with several long, thin gaps, all caused by the Purple Lightning Sword traversing and absorbing the tribulation lightning.

"Is this... your sect's tribulation-crossing treasure?" Tie Qingshan saw this scene and hesitantly asked Fu Zongjue beside him.

Fu Zongjue was silent for a moment, then nodded, and turned to threaten him in a seemingly serious manner: "If you speak a word of this, I'll guarantee the annihilation of all nine generations of the Tie family."

Fu Zongjue's words immediately made Tie Qingshan swear an oath, stating that if he revealed a single word about this treasure, he would ensure he could never reincarnate for eternity.

After taking the oath, Tie Qingshan, however, inwardly marveled repeatedly, "The Divine Wood Sect is truly worthy of being a major sect in the Eastern Desolation, to possess such a powerful artifact that I've never heard of."

He was thinking whether he should abandon his family and join the Divine Wood Sect as an honored guest, so that when he reached Foundation Establishment Completion in the future, he might be able to use sect contributions to request the use of this artifact once.

"Junior Brother Chen's divine sword seems to be fourth-tier... could it be another..." Fu Zongjue recalled the fortuitous encounter Chen Mobai had when he first entered the Divine Tree Secret Realm. It was said that he encountered the phantom of a supreme being named Emperor Qing during the Everlasting Trial and witnessed the supreme realm of "a single sword opening a world."

Considering Chen Mobai's unheard-of and astonishing sword cultivation talent, Fu Zongjue felt that his junior brother might have been chosen by Emperor Qing to be a successor across generations.

"This fourth-tier purple divine sword must be another fortuitous encounter from the Everlasting Sect that Junior Brother Chen obtained after Core Formation!"

After Fu Zongjue had mentally constructed a "correct" answer, the Purple Lightning Sword seemed to have eaten its fill, flying down with a trail of fiery light, and contentedly landed in Chen Mobai's hand.

"Master, master, I'm so full, *hic*..." The Purple Lightning Sword's mental voice echoed in Chen Mobai's sea of consciousness. The latter looked at the seven or eight tenths of the tribulation lightning still remaining in the sky and couldn't help but scratch his head.

Chen Mobai: "Is your appetite that small?"

Purple Lightning Sword: "Master, I've eaten enough, I was too hungry before."

Chen Mobai: "I thought you could eat it all and still be hungry."

Purple Lightning Sword: "I can't eat half a month's worth of food in one meal. Master, why don't you let me out to eat again tomorrow?"

After Chen Mobai heard the Purple Lightning Sword's words, he looked up at the Heavenly Tribulation, which had some of its lightning essence absorbed, and silently used the Origin Returning Secret Art again to send his pure yang spiritual energy back into his Myriad Dharma Body.

As expected, the Heavenly Tribulation, which had been gathering, hesitated again and then showed signs of dispersing.

But Chen Mobai thought carefully again: he was about to fight the Southern Mystical Sect's Core Formation cultivators. If he didn't first pass this Heavenly Tribulation, he wouldn't be able to attack at his peak.

It's better not to lose the big picture for a small gain; he should pass the tribulation first.

"If you can't eat all this tribulation lightning, then I'll fully trigger it." Due to the Purple Lightning Sword's absorption, the Heavenly Tribulation's power had weakened further. Chen Mobai now had 100% confidence in passing it, so he didn't plan to delay any longer. After saying a word to the Purple Lightning Sword, his pure yang spiritual energy returned again, triggering the Heavenly Tribulation.

"Why?" The Purple Lightning Sword was very confused after hearing this.

"Such good food, why must it be eaten all at once? Can't it be offered to me slowly?"

Chen Mobai explained the nature of the Heavenly Tribulation and also mentioned that he was about to engage in a life-and-death duel with a powerful enemy. If he didn't resolve this, he would have concerns and be unable to exert his full strength.

The Purple Lightning Sword seemed to understand, yet not fully, because there was no such thing as Heavenly Tribulation in the Immortal Gate.

However, it generally understood.

"Master, the old master's Purple Radiance Sword Canon has a technique called Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Art. If you want to fight someone, I can guide you to draw upon the vast lightning essence in the sky and transform it into a single divine thunder sword strike, making full use of it."

Chen Mobai's eyes immediately lit up after hearing the Purple Lightning Sword's words, and he began to ask for instruction.

At the foot of the mountain, Fu Zongjue and the others saw the tribulation lightning in the sky suddenly vanish without a trace, and all felt incomparably astonished.

"It's just... passed?" Tie Qingshan was a bit confused. "The thunder was so loud, but only a few snowflakes fell? Is Core Formation Heavenly Tribulation that easy?"

Although Fu Zongjue had doubts, he knew that during Core Formation, interference was most taboo, so he didn't go directly to the summit of Five Willows Mountain but waited for Chen Mobai to emerge.

Approximately one incense stick's time later, the Heavenly Wood Divine Light Formation on the mountaintop dispersed, and Chen Mobai's ethereal figure, like an immortal, appeared before everyone's eyes.

Fu Zongjue told Tie Qingshan, Zhou Bingyan, and the others to stay put and flew up himself.

"Junior Brother Chen, did you pass your tribulation?" Fu Zongjue saw that Chen Mobai seemed unchanged from before and asked with some hesitation.

"Senior Brother Fu, during my tribulation, I was suddenly transported again to a secret realm of the Everlasting Sect, and once again witnessed the supreme sword dao of Senior Emperor Qing. I don't know how long I stayed there, but just as I gained some enlightenment regarding Emperor Qing's sword dao, this Purple Lightning Sword suddenly flew out of the void and landed in my palm. I thought it was an illusion, but who knew that after opening my eyes, the sword was actually in my hand. I was extremely terrified. Is this a blessing or a curse?"

Chen Mobai's acting wasn't great, but his words confirmed Fu Zongjue's previous conjectures. The latter's shock was mixed with unconcealed envy.

"Junior Brother Chen, if you feel terrified, you can let me keep this divine sword for you. I, as your senior brother, will bear any misfortune that arises."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai gave a wry laugh and didn't reply.

Although he knew that Fu Zongjue's attributes didn't match the Purple Lightning Sword's, he had many spirit stones. Half of the Divine Wood Sect's assets were in his hands.

The Purple Lightning Sword's loyalty, in Chen Mobai's eyes, had always been zero.

"Senior Brother Fu, when I obtained this divine sword, I also received a cultivation technique called the Purple Radiance Sword Canon..." This cultivation technique was given to Chen Mobai by the Purple Lightning Sword; it wasn't downloaded from the Immortal Gate, so he could reveal it to the Divine Wood Sect.

If possible, Chen Mobai intended to pass this cultivation technique down within the Divine Wood Sect.

It also served as groundwork for his future use of the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Art.

Fu Zongjue's expression subtly shifted upon hearing Chen Mobai reveal the Purple Radiance Sword Canon without reservation, thinking, "He truly is the pillar nurtured by our sect, his loyalty is beyond question."

"What a formidable sword art! It's just a pity that only those with Lightning spiritual roots can cultivate it!" Fu Zongjue solemnly committed the Purple Radiance Sword Canon to memory. Although no one in the sect could cultivate it, a cultivation technique that directly pointed to the Nascent Soul realm would be beneficial to both him and Zhou Shengqing.

Moreover, if it were given to Mo Douguang for reference, it might allow the sword dao realm of the Eastern Desolation's top sword cultivator to advance even further.