Chapter 255: Still the Original Recipe, Still the Familiar Taste

It's here!

The tribulation of the person he had most anticipated observing was already underway, to his slight surprise!

This was decades earlier than Li Changshou had anticipated!

Consequently, Li Changshou felt a little worried.

From Li Changshou's observation, Daoist Forget-Me-Not's Dao foundation still had room for improvement, but his decision to undergo tribulation at this time must have been based on his own considerations.

Tribulation is no small matter; no one dares to act rashly. Daoist Forget-Me-Not's choice to undergo tribulation today surely wasn't for some absurd reason like 'it has to be done eventually, so the sooner the better.'

The tribulation clouds formed from all directions, gathering with immense heavenly might. The sky suddenly darkened, as if a muddy rain was about to fall. Creatures within a a hundred-thousand-mile radius were terrified, and a desolate, killing aura filled the air!

Li Changshou stood in the air above Xiaoqiong Peak, gazing towards Potian Peak, just like the other cultivators within the sect.

There, a figure slowly ascended into the sky, white hair at his temples fluttering, standing proudly with hands behind his back, directly facing the heavenly tribulation.

However, Daoist Forget-Me-Not's figure then swiftly flew towards the desolate mountains outside the sect gate. The tribulation clouds above followed like a shadow, slowly moving with his figure, like a large kite pulled by a string.

The scale of these tribulation clouds... to be honest, they weren't particularly large.

After Daoist Forget-Me-Not flew away, the sect's protective formation fully activated, thickening considerably, becoming smooth and seamless. The first to follow were the two Golden Immortal sect masters, Daoist Wuyou, and Elder Qiling—the old gatekeeper of the Daoist Scripture Hall, one of the rare Qilin clan members in the world, and a warm elder to Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu.

They followed from a distance, one on each side, serving as protectors for Daoist Forget-Me-Not, who was about to undergo his Golden Immortal tribulation.

The Golden Immortal tribulation is unlike the Immortal Ascension tribulation; even a slight disturbance can easily lead to complete failure.

Daoist Forget-Me-Not had already chosen his tribulation site and made some protective arrangements in advance.

Why undergo tribulation outside the sect? The reason is simple: if he were to undergo tribulation inside the sect, firstly, the immense heavenly might might cause inner demons in the sect's disciples. Secondly, there's an eighty percent chance the protective formation would need immediate rebuilding, incurring significant financial losses for the Immortal Ascension Sect.

Li Changshou's immortal sense swept across the area, and he could hear murmurs of discussion everywhere.

"Our Immortal Ascension Sect is about to gain another Golden Immortal?""Is this the Golden Immortal tribulation? Just this much heavenly might is enough to startle people...""Can he... can he endure it?""That's Daoist Forget-Me-Not! A mere heavenly tribulation is nothing to him!"

Li Changshou thought for a moment, then sent a voice transmission to his master and junior sister, telling them to stay put on Xiaoqiong Peak. He then selected a paper effigy and immediately prepared to follow on a cloud.

Just as he flew out, Li Changshou saw another figure flying out from Dandeng Peak and quickly called out via voice transmission. "Elder, please take this disciple with you!"

Elder Wan Linjun immediately turned back and brought Li Changshou along. The elder didn't ask why Li Changshou wanted to go, only saying, "The heavenly might of the Golden Immortal tribulation is too strong. If you can't bear it later, retreat immediately.""Yes, disciple understands."

Immediately, Elder Wan Linjun, riding a cloud, took Li Changshou out of the sect gate and chased forward. Not only Elder Wan Linjun, but also seven or eight Grand Elders and other elders went out together, spreading out within a three-hundred-mile radius around the desolate mountain where the tribulation was taking place, to collectively guard Daoist Forget-Me-Not.

Jiang Lin'er also rushed to the location. Seeing Li Changshou beside Elder Wan Linjun, she instinctively moved closer.

"Why did you come out here?" Jiang Lin'er glared at Li Changshou."This disciple came to experience the tribulation of longevity in advance," Li Changshou said with a smile, "to strengthen my resolve towards the Dao.""You worry quite far ahead," Jiang Lin'er murmured, wanting to persuade him further. But then she remembered the young disciple's various extraordinary qualities and swallowed her words.

She then gazed from afar at Daoist Forget-Me-Not standing in the air, her heart fluttering with worry and concern for him.

At this moment, the tribulation clouds covered a thousand-mile radius, and all living beings within this area retreated far away. The world was dim, but amidst the gloom, bolts of lightning suddenly flashed!

Being under the tribulation clouds, they couldn't see the phenomena above, but even hundreds of miles away from the tribulation site, the heavenly might still made even Heavenly Immortals tremble with fear.

Jiang Lin'er's face quickly turned pale, but she gritted her teeth and held on. Li Changshou glanced at his grand-master, then deliberately squeezed out a little sweat on his forehead, silently took out a jade slip, and began making detailed notes while observing.

A good memory is ultimately no match for a bad pen.

Rumble! Muffled thunder rolled, as if a colossal chariot was speeding through the clouds, and an ancient Immortal King, reincarnated from a bygone era, was surveying the world!

"Fugui-er..." Jiang Lin'er murmured softly.

Elder Wan Linjun glanced at Jiang Lin'er with a hint of suspicion. Li Changshou, from the side, sent a voice transmission to explain a few things, and Elder Wan's expression turned to one of understanding.

Immediately, Elder Wan Linjun released his immortal sense, directing most of his attention in the opposite direction, diligently protecting Daoist Forget-Me-Not.

Before long, the Nine Immortals of the 'Jiu' character all appeared. They also arrived where Li Changshou and Jiang Lin'er were, enduring the heavenly might, watching their master.

"Don't disturb Master," Jiu Yiyi instructed, "Don't affect Master's state of mind. We'll just watch from here." The eight junior brothers and sisters all agreed.

However, Jiu Wu and Jiu Jiu simultaneously turned their heads to look at Li Changshou, who was hiding behind Elder Wan Linjun, sitting on a cloud with a jade slip in hand.

"Changshou, why did you come here?" Jiu Wu asked hurriedly. "Don't get injured when the heavenly tribulation falls later!""It's fine," Elder Wan Linjun said calmly. Jiu Wu instinctively pulled back his already short neck, not daring to speak again.

Jiu Jiu, with hands behind her back, circled halfway on the cloud, then peered half her head over Li Changshou's shoulder, a strand of her hair falling before his neck.

"Let this martial aunt see, what are you writing?""Some records about the Golden Immortal tribulation," Li Changshou said with a smile. "The sect lacks documentation in this area. If I can compile them, they might serve as a reference for future generations."

Jiu Jiu blinked, then naturally sat down beside Li Changshou. "It's rare for you to be so thoughtful."

Li Changshou smiled without speaking, continuing to write and draw on the jade slip. Even with Jiu Jiu beside him, her light robes like white snow and her figure reflecting the proud chill of frost, he was in no mood for appreciation. Instead, he meticulously absorbed the worldly phenomena as the Golden Immortal tribulation descended.

Great tribulations also contain the Great Dao; true meaning is hidden within them.

At this moment, Li Changshou felt no fatigue. He was completely refreshed and dared not miss a single detail.

He had waited so long for this day, eagerly anticipating Fugui's achievement of Golden Immortal status!

Meanwhile,

In an inconspicuous mountain range in the northwest of East Victory Divine Continent, a black leopard, who had just formed his demon core, stood on a cliff, gazing at the gloomy sky to the southeast.

'It's actually a Golden Immortal tribulation, and it's the Eight Desolations, Eight Tribulations, Heart-Evil Tribulation, ranked seventeenth among Golden Immortal tribulations!'

The black leopard blinked.

'Hmm? How do I know all this? Still, a Golden Immortal tribulation of this magnitude is quite powerful. The one undergoing it should find it very difficult to pass. Uh, why exactly do I know all this?'

The black leopard demon was puzzled again.

At the tribulation site, after the tribulation clouds condensed for a moment, a massive vortex appeared within the tribulation clouds. The clouds, which had spanned a thousand miles, rapidly contracted, their area shrinking by a third. A moment later, dense lightning spots appeared in the vortex directly beneath the tribulation clouds. The concentrated power of the heavenly tribulation manifested, and a deathly silence fell over the world.

The wind ceased, and all sounds died. Spiritual energy from thousands of miles gathered here, yet it was like stagnant water.

Without warning, a brilliant blue pillar of lightning abruptly struck down, engulfing Daoist Forget-Me-Not's figure directly!

Li Changshou quickly wrote with his pen. Those around him widened their eyes, trying to discern the figure within the lightning pillar.

A moment later, the lightning pillar dissipated. Daoist Forget-Me-Not still stood in the air, his long hair slightly scorched, and his long robe had several new holes, but he himself was unharmed, and his immortal power had not been significantly depleted.

At Daoist Forget-Me-Not's feet, the peak of the desolate mountain had been flattened, and streams of lava flowed down its slopes, as if the earth itself were bleeding.

Li Changshou stopped writing and waited quietly for a moment, then quickly used his mind to 'write' on the jade slip, jotting down a note: 'After the first lightning tribulation, the tribulation-taker was given a relatively long time to recover.'

Just as his pen stopped, a lightning pillar reappeared. This time it was dark blue, and its volume was reduced by a third, but its power had increased by far more than thirty percent!

Daoist Forget-Me-Not, like a steadfast rock, 'split apart' the lightning pillar from the middle, but he himself was slowly pushed down by the pillar.

Jiu Jiu, standing nearby, held her breath and instinctively reached out to grab Li Changshou's sleeve. "'The first five strikes should be fine,' Li Changshou transmitted. Jiu Jiu slowly nodded, her eyes full of concern."

For cultivators like them, who left home at a young age to follow their masters and cultivate, the bond between master and disciple was the deepest.

Li Changshou keenly noticed that after the second lightning tribulation, the interval was slightly longer, and only then did the third lightning tribulation descend. And after the third lightning tribulation, the interval lengthened again slightly before the fourth lightning tribulation condensed and struck.

Li Changshou meticulously recorded all these details, calculating the intervals. It seemed they were increasing by twenty percent each time.

However, as soon as the fifth heavenly tribulation passed, Daoist Forget-Me-Not, who had been standing calmly in the air, preparing for the sixth, suddenly trembled slightly and frowned, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Master!" Jiu Lu'er involuntarily cried out half a word, and was immediately pulled back by Jiu Qi.

Li Changshou frowned and sensed, quickly noticing wisps of gray smoke swirling around Daoist Forget-Me-Not. He whispered: "It's a heart tribulation."

Jiu Jiu hastily asked, "What is a heart tribulation?" Elder Wan Linjun calmly replied from beside them, "It's a trial for one's Dao heart. If the Dao heart isn't complete, it's extremely difficult to endure."

Fortunately, after Daoist Forget-Me-Not formed a Daoist partnership with Jiang Lin'er, his Dao heart no longer had many imperfections.

Although Daoist Forget-Me-Not was wounded by the heart tribulation at this moment, he quickly recovered, raising his head to gaze at the tribulation clouds in the sky!

With a long cry, his aura swelled once more!

The sixth heavenly tribulation descended in response, cutting short Daoist Forget-Me-Not's cry, and directly pressing him down towards the desolate mountain, now only half-remaining below.

Above the desolate mountain, clusters of colorful flames inexplicably appeared. And accompanying this lightning, countless visible gale winds condensed into blades, shooting towards Daoist Forget-Me-Not.

Lightning, Wind, Heart, Fire! The Golden Immortal tribulation finally unleashed its full power. The desolate mountain instantly shattered, and Daoist Forget-Me-Not was pressed onto its remnants, surrounded and fiercely battered by the power of the heavenly tribulation!

Li Changshou: ...

Therefore, when facing heavenly tribulation, it's best to first thank the Heavenly Dao, and refrain from prolonged shouts, loud laughter, or boastful declarations.

The sixth heavenly tribulation lasted for half an incense stick's time. Indeed, the lightning pillar's output, the gale winds' slashing, and the heavenly fire's forging all continued for a full half incense stick's time.

And after the sixth heavenly tribulation ended, the inner demons were still raging, continuously attacking the tribulation-taker's Dao heart.

By the way, how many strikes were there in Daoist Forget-Me-Not's Golden Immortal tribulation? Li Changshou briefly calculated; it should be eight strikes. If there were nine, Daoist Forget-Me-Not probably wouldn't survive today.

Judging by Daoist Forget-Me-Not's speed of getting up after the sixth heavenly tribulation, the extent of his injuries, and the fluctuation of his aura... the eighth strike would also be very precarious.

Li Changshou glanced at the Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir he had on his paper effigy. He had now inherited Lord Lao Zi's alchemy methods. Although he couldn't refine the Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir at present, it wasn't impossible for him to do so in the future.

If Daoist Forget-Me-Not couldn't endure it later, he would bring out this Golden Elixir.

It would be a bit of a loss... Later, if he complained to his master that he had sacrificed a life-saving Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir to help the Human Sect gain another minor Golden Immortal expert, he would likely get his investment back. Incidentally, he could also do Daoist Forget-Me-Not a favor, developing him as a reserve resource...

That's not important!

After the seventh lightning tribulation fell, Li Changshou had already stood up, feeling a slight hesitation.

At this point, Daoist Forget-Me-Not had become a charred figure. Whether he could overcome the final lightning tribulation was a matter of a three-to-seven chance, three parts life to seven parts death.

With the aid of one Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir, the probability could increase by roughly sixty percent – that was the heaven-defying quality of the Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir.

Without a Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir, it would be a desperate struggle for survival.

When he himself underwent tribulation, he could only use one Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir, as the elixir's potent effects would continuously dissipate, making it pointless to take two in a short period. The other elixir was originally intended for Ling'e, but Ling'e was still at least twenty or thirty years away from her immortal ascension tribulation, let alone the Golden Immortal tribulation...

Li Changshou gripped the porcelain bottle, about to make his move.

Just then, Daoist Forget-Me-Not suddenly raised his hand, took out two glowing elixirs, swallowed them in one gulp, and his injuries rapidly subsided, his aura climbing steadily!

Li Changshou: ...

Well, that's saved.

How could any cultivator who reached the Golden Immortal tribulation not have a trump card for overcoming it?

The eighth heavenly tribulation was a ball of lightning, encapsulating the combined power of the previous seven tribulations, transforming into gale winds, heavenly fire, profound ice, and lightning, enveloping Daoist Forget-Me-Not and tormenting him repeatedly...

Jiang Lin'er and Daoist Forget-Me-Not's nine disciples, all ten of them, felt their hearts in their throats.

But Li Changshou had already foreseen the outcome of this tribulation and began to lower his head, writing and drawing, summarizing his observations.

Overall, this tribulation was rather conventional and likely wouldn't rank high among Golden Immortal tribulations. If he managed to overcome it, the resulting Golden Immortal Dao Fruit would have a relatively low power ceiling.

Estimating his own tribulation scenario... Most likely, from the fourth heavenly tribulation onwards, tribulation in the forms of wind and fire would appear. There should be nine lightning tribulations, or perhaps even more. Although nine is the extreme of numbers, longevity itself transcends the constraints of life and death for living beings. Therefore, a tenth or eleventh tribulation lightning might appear...

It seems he would need to sever his Dao realm three to four more times, and prepare the third and fourth sets of tribulation plans as early as possible.

"Hmm?"

Li Changshou, who was focused on summarizing the tribulation, suddenly felt a slight disturbance in his divine sense.

He sent a wisp of his attention to an inconspicuous Sea God Temple, the source of the disturbance. His divine sense descended onto the idol there, and Li Changshou looked towards the temple gate.

There, a young man in brocade robes stood with a smile. Although he had clear features and a handsome face, the smile on his lips was somehow... demonic and wildly confident.

Golden Cicada?

Li Changshou felt an inexplicable amusement in his heart. He had just unexpectedly discovered his Second Senior Brother, and now 'Master' had arrived at his doorstep!

As a Sea God, could he perhaps be destined to be involved with the Journey to the West tribulations?

Uh, could it be that he himself was one of the immortals in the Journey to the West...?