Chapter 2003: Potential Trouble

In the Whirlwind Secret Realm, Guangdong Ren floated high in the sky, his gaze fixed intently on the thunderclouds above.

The thundercloud, still several dozen feet in size, churned violently before transforming into a silver lightning python over ten feet long, plummeting from high altitude directly towards Wang Qingjing.

Wang Qingjing sat cross-legged amidst a pile of chaotic rocks, her aura weak, with a shield emitting a faint blue light floating before her.

To advance to the Nascent Soul stage, merely surviving the lightning tribulation is not enough; the physical body must undergo a qualitative transformation. If simply passing the lightning tribulation allowed one to enter the Nascent Soul stage, then the major sects would have long cultivated a group of Nascent Soul cultivators and would not face decline.

The silver lightning python descended from the sky, striking the blue shield.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed as a blinding burst of silver lightning illuminated and engulfed the entire mountaintop. Powerful shockwaves shattered countless boulders, filling the air with dust and smoke.

Guangdong Ren's expression tightened, his eyes filled with worry.

After a moment, the dust and smoke dispersed, and the lightning vanished. The entire mountaintop had been leveled.

Wang Qingjing lay in a giant crater ten thousand feet in diameter, her aura weak, with scattered pieces of dim spiritual wood debris around her. Her body was covered in wounds, bleeding profusely.

Wang Qingjing's face was filled with unwillingness, and she let out a long sigh. Her physical body had failed to undergo a complete qualitative transformation, preventing her from advancing to the Nascent Soul stage.

This situation was not uncommon. Many cultivators' physical bodies failed to undergo a qualitative transformation, and even if they survived the lightning tribulation, they could not enter the Nascent Soul stage.

Guangdong Ren flew over from a distance, landing before Wang Qingjing.

"Qingjing," he said, "quickly take this elixir to heal your injuries."

Guangdong Ren took out a green jade box and handed it to Wang Qingjing. Wang Qingjing nodded, opened the jade box, and found a jade-green pill nestled inside.

She took the pill, and her pale complexion slowly regained its color.

"Grand-master," Wang Qingjing asked with a frown, her face full of sorrow, "after so many years, is there still no news of Seventh Brother?"

"No," Guangdong Ren replied, "perhaps Qingshan isn't even here; he might have gone to another realm. Also, while you were in seclusion, Haitang also went missing." Guangdong Ren sighed softly at the end of his words.

When the Demon Race of Qianhu Realm was annihilated, the Wang family was at its peak, boasting two Nascent Soul cultivators and over ten Core Formation cultivators. Now, the two Nascent Soul cultivators have likely ascended to the Spirit Realm, and Wang Qingshan, Wang Mengbin, and Ye Haitang have successively gone missing, their fates unknown.

As a result, the Wang family's strength had significantly declined, so it was no wonder the Tianlan Sect was pressing them.

Wang Qingjing frowned and pressed, "Grand-master, what exactly happened? How could Cousin Haitang suddenly disappear?"

Guangdong Ren recounted the entire incident. He wasn't entirely clear on the details himself: Ye Haitang had left the Qianhu Sect headquarters with Fang Mu and then vanished.

Unfortunately, they were currently unable to contact their clan members in Dongli Realm, so they didn't know if the Soul Lamps of Wang Qingshan, Wang Mengbin, and Ye Haitang had extinguished.

"I never expected so much to happen while I was in seclusion," Wang Qingjing sighed. "It's a pity I couldn't advance to the Nascent Soul stage. Without a Nascent Soul cultivator, we simply couldn't contend with the Tianlan Sect. Since the Tianlan Sect wants the Qianhu Sect headquarters, let's just give it to them!"

"You should focus on recuperating first," Guangdong Ren comforted. "There will be other opportunities."

Wang Qingjing gave a bitter smile internally. If the passage between Dongli Realm and Qianhu Realm hadn't closed, she might have had another chance. But now it was hard to say; the spiritual resources she had were all used up.

After a brief chat, Wang Qingjing took her leave, found a secluded dwelling, and began cultivating to heal her injuries. Failing to advance to the Nascent Soul stage this time had severely depleted her vital energy, requiring a period of quiet recuperation.

***

A confined space.

Bai Ling'er stood on a pile of rubble, her face pale, her expression excited.

Wang Qingshan stood nearby, a smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Fairy Bai!" Wang Qingshan said with a smile.

"Thanks to you for protecting me," Bai Ling'er said gratefully, "otherwise I wouldn't have been able to calmly attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

"It was nothing more than a small effort," Wang Qingshan said dismissively. "You were the one who protected me earlier, otherwise I also wouldn't have been able to calmly attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

They had inadvertently ended up here, protected each other, and both successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. Unbeknownst to them, their feelings for each other had grown considerably.

"Fellow Daoist Wang," Bai Ling'er mused after a slight pause, "what if we can't leave this place and remain trapped here indefinitely? What then?"

This place seemed like an independent space. They had entered it by accident, but had no good way to leave.

"Things depend on human effort," Wang Qingshan said. "As long as we try, there will definitely be a way."

Wang Qingshan's gaze was firm. He believed that no matter what, they should remain optimistic; if they started to despair, then they truly would be unable to leave.

"I mean, what if we genuinely can't leave?" Bai Ling'er said seriously. "We might well perish here."

"Then we'll perish here. It's no big deal," Wang Qingshan said in a deep voice, unwilling to elaborate. "Now, you've just advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, and your vital energy is severely depleted. You should recuperate first!"

Bai Ling'er was somewhat unwilling and wanted to say more, but seeing Wang Qingshan's disinclination to continue the conversation, she swallowed her words.

***

Dongli Realm, Qinglian Island.

In Qinglian Hall, over a hundred high-ranking members gathered for a meeting. Wang Qingling sat in the main seat, her expression solemn.

The number of cultivators in the Wang family was growing, but there weren't many Core Formation cultivators. Most of the family's elites were in Qianhu Realm, and with the Tianlan Sect closing the passage, those clan members who went to Qianhu Realm could no longer be contacted.

Currently, the Wang family had thirty thousand cultivators in Dongli Realm, but fewer than ten were Core Formation cultivators. With the Wang family's current capabilities, supporting thirty thousand cultivators was already strenuous. The family's cultivators, numbering around thirty thousand, were spread throughout Dongli Realm, mostly at the Qi Refinement stage.

"I've called you all here today," Wang Qingling announced, "to announce something very important. Mengfen, you can tell them."

Wang Mengfen acknowledged her, her expression solemn, and said, "The Sun-Moon Palace has a new Nascent Soul cultivator. We must not clash with the Sun-Moon Palace cultivators. Ensure your descendants are kept in check."

"Yes, Matriarch," the elders responded in unison. Even if the Sun-Moon Palace did not have a Nascent Soul cultivator, the Wang family had not initiated conflicts with them. Over the years, the Wang family had consistently upheld the principle of "harmony brings wealth," coexisting peacefully with various major powers. Even when conflicts arose, they sought to resolve them through peaceful means whenever possible.

"By the way," Wang Qingling asked, her tone heavy, "is there any news of the Tianlan Sect?"

After the Tianlan Sect closed the spatial passage between Qianhu Realm and Dongli Realm, it also closed the spatial passage between Tianlan Realm and Dongli Realm. It was exceptionally difficult to ascertain the situation of the Tianlan Sect.